The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
by aca-avenger
Summary: The first time she'll see Britany hold their child in her arms she'll just know. She'll know she had found the right person to spend her life with; Brittany was the right person for everything. Part I of the Glory Trilogy
1. Prologue

This was initially a Callie/Arizona story I wrote and I seriously think that it will have success as a Brittana story. I've rewritten it because this story I one I hold close to my own heart and I think it deserves to have some fresh air breathed into it. And who better to do that with than with my favourite ship, Brittana. I hope you enjoy!

Prologue; Dark Blue  
"Have you ever been alone in a crowded room,  
When I'm here with you."  
- Dark Blue, Jack's Mannequin

"Remind me again of how you convinced me to do this?" I can hear the joking tone of Brittany's voice as she looks at herself in the floor length mirror attached to the back of our bedroom door; her shirt's rolled up over her belly, her hands folded at the swell of her breast to hold it in place.

"You didn't need any convincing at all. It was your idea remember?" I wrap my arms around her as much as possible. I can't help but grin, the contrast of her cream skin against my caramel arms never failed to set the butterflies in my stomach free to flutter around. "Plus you know you wouldn't have it any other way." I kiss her temple knowing she'll agree with me.

"I suppose so. But I think you'd look really hot with a baby belly. But otherwise, I was only kidding." Her laughter starts to fill the room and I can't help but smirk. "Kidding, you get it."

I give her a 'You've got to be joking' look. "Seriously, Britt-Britt?"

"This is what happens when you work with kindergarteners all day, your standards in humour go straight down the toilet." An evil grin creeps across her face.

"Hey! You say I'm funny all the time. You take that back." I say in the most serious tone possible, trying as hard as I can not to laugh.

"I was joking, San. Lighten up." she says with a smile. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yes, I do know that. And I love you too." I pull her as close as possible and kiss her before focusing on Britt's baby belly, rubbing my thumb against its rounded edge. "And Mami loves you too and she can't wait to meet you in three more weeks, because Mami and Momma are going to love you so much. When you get older we're going to make you eat your vegetables, we'll make sure you wear your helmet when you ride your bike, and we'll accept you for who you are. We're going to do all those things and so many more because we love you." I kiss Brittany's stomach quickly before I look back up at her.

Her pristine smile is gone, replaced with a trembling lip. Her sparkle in her eyes is gone, and replaced with tears that are streaming down her face. "Britt, what's wrong?"

I sit down on our bed, pulling her into my lap and taking her into my arms. She buries her face in the crook of my neck; I can feel her hot tears running down my chest. It's killing me not knowing what's wrong, why she's crying. "You can tell me anything, you know that, don't you?" I can feel her nodding against me. "That means that you can tell me what's wrong and we figure out together, okay?" I run my fingers through her hair like she did to me all those nights I was upset over my Abeula's reaction when I told her I loved Brittany.

We sit there in silence, and it's the silence that scares me. She usually responds my now; there's only one thing left for me to try, try and make her laugh. "Hey Brittany, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind, hey Brittany. Hey Brittany!" I cheer into her ear.

I can feel her body shaking against mine as she chuckles a little. She leans away from my neck, looking me in the eye. "I have a feeling. It's not a good feeling, San. Something is wrong, I just know it. Something feels off."

"Honey, its okay you're just nervous. You've you got yourself made as white as a sheet." It was true, Brittany's usually rosy cheeks where wiped away and her entire face looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

As she begins to speak she picks up my left hand and starts playing with my wedding band. "Santana, you don't get it. I had the same feeling the day, the day that." Brittany doesn't finish her sentence. She looks down and focus and the rings on my finger.

She doesn't have to say anything more; I know exactly what day she's refering to. I know how hard it is for her to talk about high school, most specifically the day of the mash-up competition; people never seemed to notice but the consequences of Finn's actions took as much of a toll on Brittany as it did on me. So I don't push it, I know that it's now time for putting on a brave face. "Britt, you're going to be fine. The both of you are going to be perfectly fine. We're going to see Quinn today, and she'll tell you the exact same thing, sweetie. You know I'm going to be there for you the entire time. Just relax, Britt-Britt." I kiss her temple reassuringly.

"Okay, I still feel like something's wrong but like you said we're going to see Quinn and she'll tell us what's going on. I can't believe that Quinn I going to deliver our baby, who would've thunk?" She looks up at me. The smile that has surprisingly appeared on her face doesn't mask the fear I can see in her eyes. I wish I could make it go away.

"I know, who would have thought? But then again Quinn's the only one I'd trust down below your belt querida." She giggles as I wrap my arms around her protectively, which causes her to wince. "You okay?"

"My stomach is kind of tender, it's okay." She says faking a smile yet again, making knots of nerves form in my stomach.

"Okay, Britt. Let's go see Quinn." I say, knowing that it's possible that she's right.

* * *

As I open the passenger door to Brittany's yellow Jeep Wrangler, I hear her exhale a deep breath. "It's going to be okay, Britt." I give her my most convincing smile, hoping she doesn't see through it like she always does. I take her hand in mine and help her out of the car.

"Thank you." She has a look of discomfort on her face; I give her a look hoping I don't have to ask. "My stomach hurts, its just nerves that's all." She gives me a smile that was just as fake as my own.

"Do you want me to get a chair so you're more comfortable?"

She quickly shakes her head, "I can handle it." She squeezes my hand as I shut the car door after her. I hope she's right.

Something about walking through the doors to the hospital holding her hand felt surreal. I can't quite think of why but something about it seemed like I was in the middle of a dream rather than reality. But I shake it off.

As we approach the nurses' station I notice a certain blonde down at the end of the hall. I can't help but smile. It felt good having Quinn here for Brittany and me. There was something about having her here that made me feel that Britt and the baby were safe. And that was all I needed.

"Quinn! Quinn Fabray!" She turns around and gives me a smile that I haven't seen on her face in years. "Come here, girl!" I can't help but chuckle, it was good seeing one of my best friends again.

As Quinn starts walk towards us, I feel Brittany squeeze my hand tightly. "Santana." Her voice is wavering and I can tell something's wrong. I look at her to find an absolutely terrified look on her face. "Santana. I'm, I'm" The fear causes her to be unable to finish her sentence.

I look down. Her light wash pants are stained with a growing blood stain. Blood is beginning to create a puddle on the flood around her shoes. Her grip on my hand is gone before I know it. I manage to get my arms around her to catch her as we both make our way to the floor.

Her teeth are clenched in pain, as gut-wrenching cries begin to leave her mouth. My heart feels as if it's stopped. "S-Santana, S-San. I'm s-scared." She manages to get out between her cries. It's a dagger in the heart, because I can't fix this. I do the only thing I can do.

I grab her hand, "I'm here. I'm here. I'm not letting you go. It's okay." I say as calmly as possible. "You're not alone, I'm here." I kiss her forehead, because it's all I can do.

"Don't leave me." Her words are barely more than a whisper.

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

They are the last words out of my mouth before we're surrounded. Surrounded by reminders that tell me she'll survive this, they both will. They have to. I won't be left alone in this crowded room.


	2. One

Thanks for the reviews and the support! Reviews are greatly appreciated as they help a lot with the whole rewriting process (: Hope you guys enjoy!

One. Hands Down  
"Breathe in for luck, breathe in so deep.  
This air is blessed, you share with me."  
- Hands Down, Dashboard Confessional

"Quinn! Quinn, what's going on?" My voice is desperate. If anything ever happened to her I would never forgive myself.

"Allen!" Quinn's voice echoes loudly through the hall, alerting a resident who is just entering the hallway. "Get me an OR and as many bags of O neg as you can get!"

"She's AB negative, Quinn" The words flow out of my mouth without any thought.

"Allen, scratch that! AB negative, not O! STAT!"

I hear the resident's footsteps quicken as she runs out of sight. I feel Brittany squeeze my hand, bringing my attention back to her. You can see the pain in her eyes; the perfect cloudless sky is becoming overcast with fog. "Santana!" I wrap both of my hands around her hands. "If I," she begins to choke on her words.

I stop her from saying anything more. "Don't say it. You're not going anywhere, you're not leaving me. You're not leaving us." My voice is firm, stressing that she's going to be okay, her and the baby are going to be fine.

"Shannon, prepare to scrub in." I only now notice another resident is standing across from me on the other side of the gurney. "Prep her, and I'll be down in a moment."

He looks as if he's about to protest but he doesn't, he just asks a simple question. "What are we dealing with, Dr. Fabray?"

Quinn looks at me hesitantly before answering him. "A grade three placental abruption." Her voice is heartbreakingly calm. She looks at me giving me a sad smile. "You have to let go of her now, Santana."

I find Brittany giving me a smile, it may have been done half heartedly but it was a smile not the less. I look back at Quinn, trying to hold myself together. "I'm not leaving them, Quinn." I give her a look of utmost seriousness; I wasn't budging on this decision.

"Santana." Puck's voice enters my conscious.

"No, Puck. If you won't let me in the room, I'll watch from the gallery." He puts a hand on my shoulder as if to tell me what I already know. Quinn would never allow it.

"Santana, I can't very well let you do that. I understand that they're your entire world but you have to trust me. Can you do that?" Quinn voice is even calmer than a moment ago.

I know I have no choice, this isn't my decision anymore. "If this was anyone but you Quinn, you know I wouldn't." I give her look telling her how serious I am. "But yes." My voice is hesitant; I don't want to leave her. "If,"

I don't even finish my sentence before Quinn cuts me off; being the cautious first time parents we were Brittany and I had, thankfully, already discussed with Quinn what we would want if we were put in a situation such as this. "What we discussed, I know. But that's not going to happen if you let her go now." She gives me genuine smile now.

"Don't you dare go anywhere on me." I look back down at Brittany with the best smile I can muster on my face. "I love you." I can't help but kiss her. I don't care who's watching, I don't want to leave her without her knowing how much I love her and how much need her to stay here with me.

"I love you too, Santana. N-Now let me go so I can show you our little b-baby, in a few hours." She gives me a smile, dimples and all, and I can't help but chuckle at her.

"Let's get us a baby, Brittany." I kiss her hand before letting go.

As soon as her hand is released from my own they begin taking her swiftly down the hall. Puck's hand on my shoulder has now become a full embrace. My breathing is now becoming erratic because I'm choking on my sobs. I bury myself into him and I finally allow the tears to fall; my tears wetting his navy scrub shirt. How many times have I found myself crying into Brittany's shoulder? I can't even count how many times; they're endless. This makes me cry even more; why was I never the strong one?

"Hey, she's going to be okay. You heard what Quinn said." His voice encourages me to slowly remove myself from his embrace; he keeps an arm around my shoulder.

I let my version of reality out in the form of words, hoping it doesn't all come out as one big word; so he will understand. "I know, I just can't help but think the worse. It's her, Puck. It's Brittany. Sweet, loveable, innocent, Brittany. How does something like this happen to her, to our child, Puck? If something happens to them, I won't survive. You know it."

"You have to be strong for them, Lopez. Just breathe." His words are like a sedative to my system.

I take a deep breath, praying to God that today I was one of the lucky ones. That he'd bless that air they breathed and save them. Praying that they'd survive, that I'd get to see them smile.

I knew these next few hours were going to be the longest hours of my life, and I was going to make sure that when Brittany and our baby were okay I'd be there ready for anything.

* * *

"San, you should go home and get their things for when you can see them?" Puck's voice wakes me from my phased out state. We had been sitting here for the past three and a half hours waiting on some form of news. We haven't received a word.

"I need to be here when they get out of there, not two streets over. I was supposed to be there, Puck. We were supposed to do this together." my voice is low and barely perceivable.

"I know that, but you and I both know things don't always go as planned." I can't help but think of Beth right now. I can't imagine how much pain he must of felt when he and Quinn gave Beth up. There's no way I could have been able to do it; I'm too selfish. Yet he gives me a reassuring smile, clearly trying to put me in good spirits. "How about I go get their things and you wait here, does that sound like a more reasonable idea?"

I smile for the first time in hours, "Yes, Puck. That does sound a hell of a lot more reasonable. The bag's under the left side of the bed. Here's the key." I dig my hand into my pants pocket and give me the keys to our apartment. It's attached to the keychain Brittany gave me last year as part of my Valentine's Day gift, at the sight of it I can feel my heart skipping a beat; it was made of light pink rubber the color of erasers with the phrase I heart you on it, the word heart replaced by a model of a human heart. Brittany always knew how to pick the best gifts.

"You better be waiting for me right here when I get back unless they're out. Don't go pulling a man-whore Puck move and boot it as soon as my ass is out the door." He chuckles slightly and gives me a smile as he stands up.

"I think you know me better than that, Puck." I chuckle along with him even though my heart still feeling like it's breaking into an infinite number of pieces.

After Puck leaves I'm left sitting on my own in a somewhat crowded waiting room. I only now notice how silent the room is, I can hear every second clicking away on the clock nearby. I stare at the clock for what only seems for a moment, not paying attention to the time, when I notice Quinn walking towards me. I bow my head and pray one last time before preparing for the worst.

"Santana." Quinn sits down next to me. I don't take this as a good sign.

"Oh god!" I can feel the tears filling up in my eyes and the classic shaking of my sobs start to begin. "They, they," I can't even finish my sentence before I bury my face in my hands.

Quinn wraps her arm around shoulder before saying the three words I've been begging to hear. "They made it." I look up to find a smile on Quinn's face. "They had to fight like hell but they fought for you San. They made it."

Without a second thought I pull Quinn into a hug. "Thank you. Q, I don't know how the heck I'll repay you enough. Thank you." My words are barely coherent.

"You don't need to thank me, S. If you hadn't been here, I don't know what would've happened, you're the reason they're here. Not me." As I pull away I can't help but ask Quinn if Brittany's awake yet. "Yes, she is awake. Do you want to go see her and your beautiful new baby,"

"Don't tell me!" I cut her off quickly. "I don't want to know until I see them for the first time."

Quinn can't help but laugh. "Alright, S. Calm down. You'll find out soon enough."

* * *

Before entering Brittany's room I can't help but stop for a moment. "Where's San?" I can hear her ask Rachel who is standing over a bassinette next to Brittany's bed. Puck must have ran into her on his way to our apartment and told her what was going on; it was typical of the brunette to visit the hospital when she wasn't busy with all of her Broadway stuff to come visit a special someone.

"Hold your horses, Brittany. She'll be here any minute. Plus you've got an itty bitty Lopez right here." Rachel's laugh echoes the room. "How 'bout you cuddle up with this one 'til she gets here?"

"No, that's okay Rach. I want San to be the first one to hold her. I got to carry that itty bitty Lopez for nine months so I thought she should be the first one to hold her."

"Did you guys come up with names after?"

"Yes, we did after months of arguments and vetoes we did come up with one. We're going to name,"

I rush into the room to stop Brittany's from saying anything, I want her to tell me if I have a son or a daughter, overhearing it won't be the same. "Thank god, you're okay." I walk up to Brittany and place a gentle kiss on her lips, not caring who was in the room.

"Well glad you can join us, Santana." Out of the corner of my eye I can see a smile spread across Rachel's face. "Congratulations. I'm sure that now you have a child that"

"Thanks Berry." I cut her off, unable to put up with any more of her ramblings. I give her a small smile before I start focusing on the tiny life inside of the bassinette. "Are you going to tell me Britt or am I going to have to investigate for myself?" I can't help but chuckle.

I can feel Brittany's hand wrap tightly around my own. "Turns out we've got our self a little querida."

"Really?" I ask with out taking my eyes of the little mop of black hair peeking out from under a little white hat.

"Really." I can hear the pride in Brittany's voice.

I look back at her, "Can I?" I don't even ask the full question because she knows what I'm thinking, just like she alway does.

"Of course, you can." I can feel her grip on my hand disappear.

Tears are forming in my eyes and my mouth is slightly agape as I pick up the one of two most precious things in my life. "She's beautiful. Mi pequeña princesa" At my words her eyes open to reveal russet eyes that mirror my own. I can't stop the tears that are now rolling freely down my face.

"I'll let you three be alone." Something along those lines leaves Rachel's mouth before she exits the room quietly.

I look back at Brittany, her face is lit up as she's watches our little girl, "I can't believe she's here. I can't believe that this is all real." The words come out my mouth as almost like a single word.

I sit down on the edge of Brittany's bed and hand her our daughter. Our daughter, it feels amazing to hear that, even in my own head. I put my arm around Brittany's waist leaving one free hand to slowly smooth our daughter's hair. "You tell Mami that you're real. You tell her that you've got a name and everything. You're Lily Quinn Lopez, aren't you, Lily? Aren't you?" Brittany coos.

Just seeing Brittany hold Lily in her arms told me that she was going to be a great mother. It made me sure that I'd found the right person to spend the rest of my life with, the right person to mother my children, the right person for everything. It told me that hands down that today was the best day of my life so far, and that I would have many more days like today.


	3. Two

Once again, I just wanted to thank you guys for all your support! It's really helping me remember why I loved writing again! Thanks! Hope you enjoy! (:

Two. Someone Else's Life  
"When I'm lost, in your eyes,  
I see a way for me."  
- Someone Else's Life, Joshua Radin

After spending over fourty eight hours in the hospital with numerous visits from our friends we were all finally going home together. We had pulled up in front of our building in my jeep around five minutes ago and the chaos has appeared to be started already.

"Are you sure you can carry everything, I have two hands you know?" Santana's trying to carry everything herself while I carry Lily in her car seat. I can see the frustration on her face as tries to shut the trunk door. She's been taking this whole me taking it easy thing to a whole other level.

"No, honey, I got this." She says, grumbling slightly. I can't help but roll my eyes at her being stubborn as always.

"Sure, San, you do that." I chuckle at her. She looks up at me; her cheeks are now blushing and a slight frown on her face. "Me and Lily will meet you upstairs." I sneakily take the diaper bag of her shoulder begin walking away before she can protest. I look down at Lily find her with her big brown eyes open spying at me. "You're Mami is stubborn." I give her a smile and laugh. "Yup, Mami is so stubborn."

As Lily and I enter the apartment I can't help but let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding; it felt good to be home. I walk further into the apartment I notice the answering machine light is blinking. I put the diaper bag on back of one of the kitchenette chairs and put Lily's car seat on the floor. As I bend down to unbuckle Lily from her car seat I notice she's already sound to the world; what I wouldn't give to be able to know what was running through her little mind. I slowly take her out of the car seat and into my arms before walking to the answering machine and press the button.

"You have two new messages. Message 1." The robotic voice says before a loud squeal escapes from the machine. I look down at Lily whose still sound asleep in my arms, she's definitely going to be a deep sleeper like Santana used to be. "I hear a have a little niece! I'm going to be at Mom and Dad's so call as soon as you guys get settled in, even if it's really late or well early we don't mind, so we'll know when to get on Skype. We can't wait to see her! Bye guys!"

I can't help but laugh. Just by the message I could tell that my sister Ashley was going to have Lily spoiled rotten. Lily was going to be one spoiled kid but she definitely wasn't going to be a spoiled brat that's for sure. Santana and I were going to make sure of that. I look back down at her face. Her eyes are closed, she looks so peaceful. The noise coming out of the answering machine pulls me out of my thoughts.

"Hi mija, it's Mom. Your father and I forgot to ask earlier if next weekend would be okay for us to come and visit. We're so anxious to see her and we miss you both. Just give us a call back tomorrow. Love you, bye."

At the end of the message Santana finally enters the room with a huge smirk on her face. "I told you I could to it." You can hear the pride just ringing in her voice. She quickly drops everything on the counter before sitting down on the couch.

I can't help but laugh at her, "I never said you couldn't." She motions for me to come over and sit on her lap. I quickly comply. Santana wraps her arms around me tightly, as if she trying to protect me from some unseen danger. "We haven't done this in a while."

"Well when your wife eight to nine months pregnant it's kind of difficult." She says before her infamous chuckle fills the room. I give her a look; she knows I'm pretending to be mad. "But now I've got my beautiful little girl and my absolutely stunning wife, so now we get to do this more often." A wide smile spreads across Santana's face which automatically causes me smile. She leans in and kisses the top of Rory's head before kissing my cheek.

"Ashley and your mom called."

"Oh really, what does Ashley want now?" Santana says sarcastically as she rolls her eyes.

"She wanted us to call when we got settled in so we could Skype with her and my parents and show them our little monster." I can't resist the urge to place kisses on Lily's cheeks.

"Well that's not so bad." she chuckles. "I was expecting her to ask if she could buy Lily an extravagant accessory of some sort. You said my Mom called too, right?"

"Yes, she did. She wanted know if it was okay for her and your Dad to come up this weekend for a visit. What do you think?" I'm slightly nervous about this; I know that Santana loves her parents but their visit would cause them to stay at a hotel because there isn't enough room at the apartment. Santana hates the thought family staying at hotel, it's completely different from how she was raised. Family is supposed to stay in your home, period.

"I think that my parents coming is a great idea." The smile that once spread across her face slowly fades. "Brittany, I know we talked about this but that was a year ago and I think that with Lily finally being here it's more necessary. I think we need to buy a house. Somewhere we can call our home. I hate sending our parents to hotel because we don't have room for them here. I like being so close to the hospital so that I can get there faster when I get paged but when Lily gets bigger she's going to need a yard to play and we both want to have more kids and there isn't going to be enough room. And we need,"

I love it when she rambles she's so adorable but I need to stop her before she starts freaking out. I stop her by placing my lips on hers and kiss her softly. "Okay, we'll buy a house." I say as I pull away.

"Really?" The smile I love resurfaces.

"Really. We are going to have that big house the swing set in the back yard and a tire swing hanging from a huge tree so our kids can play. We're going to have everything we ever wanted." I give her another to assure her that I'm right.

As I pull away Lily starts crying in my arms, "Hey, baby girl. Don't cry, Mami's gonna get you your bottle while Momma calls Aunt Ashley, okay?" Santana's soothing voice calms her slightly. She kisses my cheek just as I begin to get up out of her lap. "Let's show go show them our little monster."

* * *

"Oh my gosh! She is so cute! She looks just like Santana in those baby pictures you guy had at the wedding!" Ashley's loud voice echoes out of the computer speakers as she holds up a photo of Santana up to the webcam.

"Awe, she does." I say as I look down at Lily who is in Santana's arms.

"She's beautiful, Brittany." I look back at the computer screen to find my dad with tears beginning to form in his eyes.

"Thank you, Daddy. Stop being such a wimp." Santana laughs quietly at my comment.

"Your father's right, she's beautiful. We can't wait until you come and visit. You'll come as soon as you can right?" My mother has a sweet smile on her face hoping we'll visit within the month. The separation between us and my parents has been really hard on her, she told me that once I had my own child I'd understand; and now I do. Lily is less than a week old and I can't bear to think about what it will be like when she goes to kindergarten, let alone college and having a family of her own.

"Of course, Mrs. Pierce, we'll visit whenever we get the time." Santana's voice softens; it always does when she talks to my mother. Even after knowing Santana for the majority of my life her relationship with my mother still intrigues me.

"For with billionth time, Santana you can call me Mom or by my first name. None of this old fashion crap!"

I can't help but gasp. "Mom! Little ears remember!"

I use my hands to cover Lily's ears. Earning a chuckle from my mother, my father rolling his eyes at her. "Sorry dear."

"What did you guys name her after? I knew you had come up with quite a few possibilities." I can hear the curiosity in Ashley's voice. She's been hinting ever since we announce we were pregnant that she'd love us forever if she was named after her.

"Well, we decided to name her after you, Mom," At Santana's words my mother's face lit up causing the small smile on her face quickly grow. "And her middle name is Quinn. It was the least we could do with all she's done for us."

"Well that is a beautiful name." The tears in my dad's eyes are disappeared but you can hear the pride in his voice.

"What about me huh? I've done a lot for you guy over the years you know. Babysitting experience that made sure you guys won't screw up your kid, and,"

"The next one Ash, alright?" Santana manages to shush my sister.

"The next one?" My father's eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head.

"Yes Dad, the next one." I assume him. Santana grew up as an only child, she loves her parents and understands why they didn't have more children but she didn't want that for Lily.

"How many of these are you planning on having, Britty?" My mother seems to be slightly in shock. "I mean it's great you guys want more but,"

Santana cuts my mother off, knowing that some how if she kept talking she'd dig herself into a hole and wouldn't be able to get back out. "It's definitely what we want. And we're thinking maybe three, possibly four. Depending on how everything in pans out, considering nothing in life goes as planned right Britt?"

I look at Santana for a moment before looking back down at Lily; I find her face scrunched up as if she's about to cry. Before I can even say anything a foul smell reaches my nose and Lily beings to cry. "Uhm, San. I think we have a situation here."

"Sorry, but we kind of have to go because the little monster here needs a diaper change so we'll talk to you guys again sometime this week, okay?" Santana says as she slowly hands Lily to me.

"Bye girls! Bye Lily!" is the last words I hear before I walk into Lily's room.

* * *

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." A chuckle escapes from Santana as she hands me a diaper.

I can feel the blush begin to surface on my face. "Uhm, San." I nervously bit my lip; this was going to be embarrassing.

"Seriously, Brittany?" She raised her eyebrow curiously. "You spend almost your entire day with children."

"San, I'm not a nanny, I'm a teacher. I fix behavioural problems, play games with them, teach them math and stuff, get them pudding. I don't spend my days changing diapers of newborns."

"You've never changed a diaper before. Well that's something I didn't expect I was going to have to teach you considering you're the one with a younger sister and a million cousins." Places a hand on my arm, and her eyes meet mine, it's only for a moment but it's enough. "Okay, well first you've got to back sure everything you need which we do. Then you take the clean one and you put it under the one she's already wearing."

Santana continues explaining but I'm already lost. I just smile along and pretend I know exactly what she's talking about. I don't care because just looking into her eyes I know she'll tell me over and over if she has too; I can see all the love and admiration in her eyes that is all I've ever wanted. Every time I'm lost all I have to do is look into her eyes because I know they'll lead me home.


	4. Three

Again, thanks for all the support (: Hope you enjoyed tonight's episode and enjoy this chapter!

Three. Good To You  
"And I do want you to know that I hold you up above everyone.  
And I do want you to know I think you'd be good to me,  
And I be so good to you, I would."  
- Good to You, Marianas Trench ft. Kate Voegele

"Oh my god! They're not vegetarian are they? Cómo pueda soy tan estúpido? Ellos son mis suegros, Dios! Estúpido!" Brittany throws her oven mitts into the drawer then begins pacing back and forth the kitchen.

My parent visiting always causes Brittany to stress out way too much, even though she had had a whole week and a half to prepare herself this time. "Brittany." There's a playful grin on my face that she doesn't see because she continues to rant. No matter how many times I hear her rant in mixed English and Spanish I can't help but smile. The amount of Spanish she's learnt from me over the years is amazing; she may not be able to write a single word but her speaking is impeccable. There's something about it that makes butterflies flutter in my stomach; even after all this time.

She keeps pacing until I can't bear to watch her torture herself anymore. I hop off my usual seat for watching Brittany cook on counter and take her arm. I can see she's trying to avoid looking into my eyes out of nervous habit. With one look into her eyes I can usually disable her defences. "Britt, my parents are not vegetarian. They haven't been vegetarian the other billion times you met them either. You really need to get over this, sweetie. They love you, they wouldn't have let me married you if they didn't, not like that would have mattered, but still. It's not like they're here to barge in and demand we move to be closer to them, you to get a better job or anything else. You know my parents aren't like that and this isn't the 1950s, Britt. They're just here to spend time with Lily and us."

Brittany's eyes finally meet my gaze; I can see the fear, the fear that was always there when she was extremely uncomfortable or nervous. "It's going to be okay, right?" Her voice is almost a whisper.

"Come here you." I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Of course, it's going to be okay. Why wouldn't it be?" I give her a smile, knowing that it'll cheer her up at least a little bit. Brittany quickly leans over slightly and buries her face in the crook of my neck, pulling me closer. I can feel a small pool of tears begin to wet my skin. "Hey, it's going to be okay." I run my fingers through her hair and kiss the top of her head hoping it will help compose her.

After a few moments, she lets go; shaking her head and wiping the tears from her eyes as she pulls back. "I'm sorry. I always become a blubbering idiot over the stupidest things. It's so stupid."

"Hey! You're not stupid and nothing that you could ever do or have done is stupid."My voice is sincere; ever since the first time I met Brittany I knew how much she could be affected by her "lack" of traditional intelligence. But to be honest with you, Britt is the smartest person I've ever met. It always discouraged my faith in humanity how so many people couldn't see how intelligent she really was.

"This is going to end up coming out all wrong and not making any sense to you." I can feel the impatience with herself in her tone. She never blamed anyone for not seeing the best in her like she saw the best in everyone else. She always put the blame on herself.

"You never know until you try." I give her a small smile because I can see the internal conflict in her eyes, but she finally gives in.

"It's just that I can't help but remember the first time you met my father as my girlfriend and how terrible he was to you. It makes me feel so bad that your parents never had a problem with me and that you had to go through that with my father. I can't get it out of my head, and I hate that I put you through that. " I can hear the disgust in her voice.

"Listen to me." I kiss her temple before continuing. "You did not put me through that. You know I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant I could have you and Lily. And you don't need to feel guilty about how my parents have never had a problem with you. It's super that they haven't because my parents always taught me that I should never settle for anything less than what I want. And they always knew who was right for me and who wasn't. And you're the one who is right for me, I know it and they know it. So don't ever feel guilty for that. But look at us now, me and your father get along great. He was just scared I was taking his baby girl away from him. He knows that I'm who's right for you too now. Before he was scared so he acted out, just like I used to when we were kids. You understand that right?"

"Yeah, I get it but thank you for explaining it to me." She takes my lips and places them on her own, her tongue running along my bottom lip; a moan escapes from my mouth involuntarily. She pulls away and I can't help but pull her back for one more quick kiss. "Thank you for always understanding me, even when I don't think anybody will. Thank you for being so good to me."

"I'll always be good to you." I kiss her on the cheek. "Now, get back to your amazing cooking before you burn something." I let out a small giggle at the thought; I don't think she's ever burnt anything. She may not understand recipes but put that girl in front of a TV playing a cooking show and then she can work wonders.

Before I even get a chance to let go of Brittany a deafening cry escapes from the baby monitor. "Looks like there's someone else you need to go and be good to."

"But," I can't even finish my sentence before Brittany cuts me off by putting a finger to my lips.

"No buts about it. You've been supervising me all week so it's about time you do it yourself. Now go be good mother and kick that diaper's ass."

"I hate you!" She yells as she leaves the kitchen.

"I love you too!" I respond knowing exactly what she really means.

* * *

"So mija, you weren't lying when you said Brittany was the best cook. I would definitely agree, she is a lot better than your mother." My father's laugh is echoing through the apartment.

My mom playfully slaps him on the arm. "Miguel, I'm not that bad of a cook."

"See, honey now you know where I get it. I inherited my mother's cooking ability, well in this case inability." I can't help but smile and laugh, I didn't know that simple conversation could cause a miniature riot at the table. "She always wondered why I could never make anything harder than Kraft dinner or scrambled eggs. Well that and Sue's Cheerio's diet."

"Uh, don't remind me. Sue's Master Cleanse nearly hospitalized half of us." Brittany's face screws up just like Lily's does when she needs a diaper change causing me to laugh.

"It's about time you learnt, Santanita. Before you know it Lily will be old enough to eat actual food and Brittany's not going to be home at all hours to make it for you." I know my father's words are supposed to be encouraging but my previous smile falls from my face and I look down at my plate.

"Well I have plenty of time, she's not even two weeks old, Dad." My tone is slightly distant; as I finish talking I feel Brittany place her hand on my knee under the table. I look up out of the corner of my eye and see her giving me a heartfelt smile.

"Of course you have plenty of time. It's not all going to pile up all at once." Brittany's classic optimism causes me to finally look up completely and into the eyes of my father. I can tell that he regrets ever saying anything.

"Of course you're right. So have you guys figured out when you're going to visit Brittany's family? I'm sure they're excited to see all of you." My father thankfully changes the subject. I'm sure that the relief is visible on my face.

"My sister Ashley is more excited about us visiting then when there's a sale at Saks that corresponds to her visiting us. And that, that saying something. We're thinking about going down in three weeks and staying for four days, but we're going to take a week off to catch up due to the jetlag. Of course, traveling with Lily will make us need more time off to make sure she settles well." At the mention of our daughter my face lights up automatically.

"Speaking of which, where is that nieta of mine?" I sense in my mother's tone that she's noticed my face lighten.

"She's asleep in her crib. You haven't noticed the slight snoring from the monitor?" I chuckle. Brittany constantly expresses that fact that there is no doubt in her mind that Lily was my child; she loves to sleep the day away much like a teenage version of me. "I'll go get her and clean her up a bit so that you can see her before you go." I smile as I excuse myself from the table.

As I enter Lily's room I can't help but hear the hushed voices of my parents in the dinning area.

"You have no idea how glad we are you're in Santana's life, Brittany. I've never seen her this happy in my entire life." My father paused for a moment, "But when you guys officially became a couple that all changed. Even just by simply talking to her over the phone when I was at work telling her to order something for herself for supper I could tell. She changed. It was as if you had simply turned a switch back on. You made her back into my happy little girl again, my Santanita." I can hear the admiration in my father's voice.

"You made her our daughter agai. You can't possibly imagine how grateful we are to you. She was a train wreck waiting to happen and there was nothing we could do to stop it. Every time the phone rang we were afraid it was going to be one of her other friends telling us something had happened to her. I don't hold it against you, but when you were with that Artie boy, she changed." My mother's voice is slightly lethargic. "We were so terrified and helpless."

"We're so grateful that you two were able to work it out. You're so good to her. You know that she's acts tough, but she needs someone who's there for her when she needs it. Santana may seem like she's all sarcasm and trash talk but you know that she isn't. We both know that you can see through her and know when she needs you. We just wanted to say thank you for giving us our little girl back and giving us Lily. I didn't think that I get to see my Santanita's true smile again, but because of you I do."

I don't need to hear any more. I know that they were speaking the exact truth. If I hadn't made up with Brittany I would be long gone; likely being that stripper on a pole Rachel Berry claimed I'd only ever be, drowning my sorrows in alcohol and meaningless sex. But we did, and that's what matters. I just know that I'll be as good to her as she is to me for the rest of our lives. She's deserves that because she rises above it all, the pain, the pity, the looks, all of it, even if we've had a fight she still treats me the way she should. She does those things because it's who she is; she's my Britt-Britt.


	5. Four

Four. Having My Baby  
"You're having my baby,  
What a lovely way of saying how much you love me."  
- (You're) Having My Baby, Paul Anka

"So when are you, Brittany, and Miss Lily the future of Broadway going back to Ohio?" Rachel Berry's voice enters my mind as I sit in the vacant seat across from her in the hospital cafeteria.

"Seriously, Berry? Did you just say my daughter is the future of Broadway?" My eyebrow is raised showing my obvious confusion. Surprisingly this is the first time she's made this suggestion, and that's saying something considering she was actually really close to Brittany and I during the pregnancy. She's definitely become less of a diva since high school (I'm certain her relationship with Quinn has partial claim over the cause of that) and has become someone I can call a close friend.

"You didn't answer my question. And yes, I did, that kid of yours is going to be extremely talented. With your vocal skills and Brittany's dance abilities that girl is going to be the next Rachel Berry. Completely unstoppable. I can see it now. Lily Lopez starring as Maria in West Side Story Revival!" Rachel exclaims before she continues to eat her less than appetizing looking salad.

I decided to let her have her fun considering who she is. "We're leaving early tomorrow morning, which means I get off an hour after my lunch break, thank god. I'm tired of doing charting, I'm not an intern. I've only been back for a week and everyone in my department walks on eggshells around me. It's not like I physically had to go through what Britt did. I can handle it. But no! God forbid if I would actually see a patient. I would have to admit I do enjoy having a somewhat regular sleeping pattern. But still, it's not like I'm even doing my job, I feel like a clerk or something."

"Regular sleeping patterns sound nice, I'm jealous Lopez. Then again I don't many night hours for sleeping, if you get what I mean." Puck winks with a chuckle before burying his face back into his mozza burger

"Ew, I do not need to hear about your sex life Puckerman." I make gagging sounds to make my point perfectly clear.

"You and I both know I'd love to hear about your's though." He gives me another wink; earning himself a slap up the side of the head. "Argh, Lopez that hurt!"

"It was meant to, Puck. Now finish that burger and get out of here so the grown ups can talk." I say with a devilish smirk causing Rachel and Quinn to laugh.

"Fine." He shoves the remaining bite of his burger in mouth before grabbing his tray. As he walks out of the cafeteria he doesn't hesitate to give me the middle finger.

"Bye Noah!" Rachel calls out to him across the cafteria, earning herself a threatening glare. She and Quinn giggle like school girls as he walks out of sight.

Out of the corner of my eye a head of my wife's infamous blonde hair catch my attention. I turn my head to find Brittany walking into the cafeteria pushing Lily's stroller. A wide smile is plastered on her face.

"Nice to see you, Brittany. This place has been pretty lifeless without your random visits." Quinn smiles widely.

"Well that's sad to hear." Brittany takes the seat next to me as she rolls the stroller up next to the table. I can see Lily, wearing a white duckling covered onesie, looking up at her with a confused expression on her face. "Yes, we're stopping silly. I brought you to come to see Mami." Brittany's voice has increased in pitch for Lily's amusement as she leans over and takes her out of the stroller.

"Hey baby girl, Mami missed you." I say as Britt hands her to me. I kiss her cheek before grabbing a bottle from the diaper bag next to her and begin feeding Lily; my gaze doesn't leave Lily's face.

"Uh, you guys are so happy it makes me want to gag." Quinn says as she leaves the table.

"Sorry, about her. She's been acting a bit odd lately. Hope you guys have a good trip." Rachel gives us a smile before quickly following Quinn out of the cafeteria.

"Close your eyes." Brittany's words cause me to look up.

"What?" I say in confusion, why would I close my eyes while feeding our daughter?

"Just shut your eyes. Please?" She gives me a pout that I know I can't refuse.

"Fine." I stop feeding Lily and shut my eyes. It feels like only a few seconds before Brittany tells me to open my eyes again. I find a small box from my favorite pizza place sitting in front of me. "You didn't?"

"We did." As I look back at her she gives me my favorite smile, dimples and all.

"Well thank you. I have the best daughter" I pause to kiss Lily's forehead who is staring at me, her eyes wide. "And the most amazing wife." I give Brittany a quick chaste kiss; I'd long given up on caring if someone's looking.

"Santana." Her tone is quite stern as she pulls away from me, but the look in her eye says different; I know she enjoyed it as much as I did.

"Don't Santana me, you're my wife. And if people don't get that, then that's their problem."

"Fine then." she finally gives in and giggles slightly. "Now hurry up and finish your pizza so that you come home. So then we can finish packing because you know how long it takes you to pack." She gives me a stern look, knowing I'm the worst packer ever, before breaking back out into a smile.

"Alright, alright. I'll scarf down this lovely piece of pizza and get back to work. Then I'll come home and we can finish packing. Yes, I admit you're right, for once." I chuckle. "Wait did you get," I don't even need finish my sentence.

"Of course I did," She plops the item in question on the table next to my pizza. "Dr. Pepper for my favorite Doctor." She says before she gives me a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, baby" I give her a kiss on cheek on in return. "And baby." I blow a raspberry on Lily's cheek causing her to gurgle hysterically.

"Say bye to Mommy, Lily. She's got to get back to her lunch and saving people's lives. You'll see her in a little bit." I can detect the sadness in her voice.

"Cheer up, buttercup." I shake my head in doubt. "Did I actually just say that?"

"Yes, you did. I've rubbed off on you." She winks.

"God, help me." I can't help but laugh as she slaps my arm playfully.

"I love you. Adiós mi amor." I say as I stand up and put Lily back in her stroller. "I'll be home before you know it." I say before I sit back down to eat. Brittany places a kiss atop my head before rolling Lily out of the cafeteria. I can't help but hope there's no emergencies this afternoon, cause I really want to get home to my wife.

* * *

As I put my keys in the lock I can hear music coming from inside the apartment; Brittany always needed the radio on so that she be productive while doing things around the apartment. I stop and laugh slightly to the thought of Brittany dancing around the apartment trying to pack. Opening the door causes me to become face to face with her.

"Boo!" She kisses me on the cheek. "I missed you." She says with a smirk.

I breath heavily trying to catch my breath; she had scared the crap out of me. "How do you do that?" She is so sneaky sometimes.

"I heard your key in the door." She replies as if it was a simple fact and the most obvious answer.

"But you have the music on, how the hell do you hear that?" My eyebrow is raised in curiosity.

"I have super hearing remember. Now hurry up, I'm about to put Lily down for a nap and I'd like you to be there. You know how cute she is when she just drifts off to sleep." Britt takes my hand and leads me into the apartment.

"Yes, I do know. She looks like you right after you wake up, all cute and sleepy." I say with a smile. I only now notice the song on the radio has changed to a familiar voice of Paul Anka while she fails at holding in a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She acts as if nothing even happened.

"Tell me." My tone is firm because it's natural for me to be inquisitive.

"I was just remembering something that happened a few months ago. It wasn't funny. Actually, it was quite sweet. You don't remember?" Her voice is sincere and I can see admiration in her eyes.

* * *

"_What are you still doing up? I told you to go back to sleep." Santana says as she enters our bedroom doorway. It was close to five o'clock in the morning; Santana had just gotten home from the hospital after being called in for an emergency surgery around quarter to one. _

"_I couldn't sleep, I missed you too much." I say with a small smile on my face as I sit up in bed._

"_Well I'm home now and I'm going to take a quick shower before coming to bed so you better be asleep when I get back because you need to sleep." She says narrowing eyes then laughs._

_Santana quickly makes her way to our ensuite bathroom, I can hear the water begin to run, signalling she has begun her shower. I lay back down in bed deciding I better attempt to sleep or Santana was going to be upset. I'm cuddling into Santana's pillow, breathing in the scent of gingerbread, oranges and something that is distinctively Santana, when I hear it. _

_At first I think I'm hearing things but the voice is too real, too familiar to be a dream._

"_You're having my baby, what a lovely way of saying how much you love me. You're having my baby, what a lovely way of saying you're thinking of me. I can see it your face is glowing." Santana's singing is loud enough to heard throughout the apartment, she's obviously clueless. _

_Tears are now beginning to form in my eyes. Her voice is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. I never cease to be amazed at how miraculous my wife is._

"_I can see it in your eyes. I'm happy knowin' that you're having my baby. You're the woman I love and I love what its doin' to you." She continues on until her voice can be heard even more as she shuts off the water._

_She comes back into the room wearing only her old NYU sweatshirt and a pair of grey boy shorts. I quickly wipe my eyes before giving her a knowing smile and patting the spot on the bed next to me. _

_She climbs into bed around her around my waist and intertwines her legs with my own. "Now let's get you and our child asleep before you guys get overtired." Her voice is soothing as she pulls herself as close to me as possible._

"_Good night. I love you." I whisper before closing my eyes._

"_Sweet dreams, I love you too." she says before kissing the top of my head. Before I know it her light snores fill the room and I fall asleep with a smile plastered on my face._

* * *

"You didn't know I heard you did you?" a small smirk is on her face.

I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks creating a deep red blush on my caramel skin; something that is not easy to do. "No. I did not know you heard me." I quickly turn away from her, putting my purse on the counter. I take off my favorite black leather jacket and hang it up on the coat hooks by the front door.

Before I get a chance to turn around I feel her arms snake around my waist. "Don't be embarrassed, San. You're a beautiful singer." She kisses my cheek encouragingly.

"Uh, thanks." Are the only words I manage to get out because the only thing I'm focusing on is her; the feel of her breath on my neck.

"You're welcome. Now let's go put our daughter down for a nap and got the packing all finished." She kisses my cheek once more before letting go. She takes Lily out of her play pen; you can see the sleepiness in her eyes.

"Alright. It's time for a nap, Lily." I follow her into Lily's room, watching my daughter look at me over my wife's shoulder. I still can't get over how lucky I am to have two amazing girls in my life.

* * *

"Well that's the last of it." Brittany says cheerfully as she shuts the suitcase and zippers it shut. "Now we can have some fun." She puts her fingers in my belt loops and pulls me towards her, pressing her lips against mine.

I can't help but let her tongue run across my bottom lip before I pull away. "You heard what Quinn said." A frown forms on her face. "No vigorous activity for you for six weeks." I emphasize the word vigorous so she gets my point. Before she can reply cries can be hear coming from Lily's room. "And we have a baby to look after. I got it." I knew I had to go look after Lily because other I won't be able to keep myself in check. I give her a quick kiss on the forehead which brings a smile back to her face before leaving the room.

I find Lily look up at me crying her little heart out as I bend down to pick her up. "Don't cry, Lily. Don't cry, baby girl. Mami will sing you back to sleep." I can't help but chuckle knowing that Brittany is in our bedroom listening through the baby monitor.

A smile comes across Lily's face for the first time, being a doctor I know it could very well be gas but I refuse to believe that. This is definitely my daughter's first smile. I feel bad that Brittany's missing it but I can't help but bask in the moment as I begin to sing and thank god she was graced with a familiar smile. "Sometimes I wanna give in, I wanna quit the fight. But when I see you baby, everything's alright." I give Lily a smile before continuing. "When I see you smile, I can face the world oh oh, you know I can do anything. When I see you smile, I see a ray of light oh oh, I see it shining right though the rain. When I see you smile, oh yeah, baby when I see you smile at me." Lily is now sound asleep in my arms. I place Rory back in her crib, smiling to myself.

As I enter our room, Brittany who is lying on our bed rolls over to face me. "Come lay down with me." She says with a small smile. I quickly comply and wrap my arms around her waist, nuzzling my face into her mess of blonde hair. "I love you." I can hear the sincerity and admiration in her voice.

"I love you too." I say as I pull my face out of her hair, putting my chin on her shoulder. "You know how I wasn't completely sure we picked the right donor when we decided to have Lily right?"

"Yes, I think there was something about not wanting our child to be a mathlete because the guy was a quantum physic researcher." Brittany says in an amused tone.

"I think you were right. He definitely was the right one. I'm a hundred percent certain." I can't resist the urge to smile.

"And why would you say that?" She turns her head so that she's looking me straight in the eye.

"I would say that because some how, you managed to choose an intelligent man that had smile I could die for, exactly like yours. And that man gave it to our daughter." I kiss her forehead before looking into her eyes that are now beginning to tear up.

"Really?" Her voice is barely a whisper.

"Really. Lily smiled at me before I began singing her to sleep. She has your smile, Britt. I swear it's tied with you for the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I can't believe you missed it but I can't wait to show it to you tomorrow, to show everyone tomorrow." I wrap my arms even more tightly around her. I close my eyes and begin to drift into unconsciousness knowing that I'd have a lifetime full of tomorrows with Brittany and our daughter.


	6. Five

To rid of any confusion and to answer **SwordOfTheJedi**'s question, Brittany did carry Santana's eggs. Given that Santana is a medical professional who spend the majority of her day on her feet, they would be in the right financially to do so and it would alleviate the difficulty of being pregnant and working close to eighty hours a week. Once again, I'd like to say thanks for all your support! It means a lot (:

Five. Holiday From Real  
"If you left it up me, everyday would be a holiday from real.  
We'd waste our weeks beneath the sun…"  
- Holiday From Real, Jack's Mannequin

The Ohio sun shines across Santana's raven black curls across from me as we make our descent into Lima Allen County Airport; it somehow brings out her eyes.

"You know what I can't believe?" Her beautiful russet eyes widen slightly as she speaks.

"What can't you believe, Mrs. Lopez?" I ask humouring her.

She rolls her eyes at me before answering. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me that we were going back to Ohio on a private jet owned by your father. I knew your parents were very well off but I didn't know they were this wealthy. I mean you drove a ten year old bug in highschool B, how the heck is this even possible?" I can see the genuine surprise on her face. I had been waiting for her to bring this up the entire flight but she never did until now.

"Well, it's never been an issue. You knew I had a trust fund and I thought that was enough for you to know. I don't care about the money, you know that. And I loved that car!" I take her hand in mine and give her an encouraging smile. "Well, how do I say this? My father and my uncle own a corporation back in Holland, he is one of the partners for the largest telephone company in Europe, and has shares in numbers of successful companies, like Apple."

"Wow, that's a lot of business."

"He surprisingly was able to work from home which was something he did a lot if you remember. Remember when he built us that tree house in my back yard?" I chuckle remember how a nine year old Santana fell out of the tree resulting in a broken arm. I'm so happy you're going to meet all of my family. I can't believe it's taken me this long to get them all here to meet you." I laugh; poor Santana doesn't know what she married into.

"But I thought I met all of your family at the wedding." her eyebrows are uncharacteristically raised.

"They were only the tip of the ice berg, honey." I smirk.

"And now I'm a passenger on the Titanic." She hangs her head before looking over at Lily who is sitting in her car seat next to her. "Mami's in trouble now, Lily. Mami's in deep trouble." I can't help but laugh at her and Lily who just gurgles at her.

"Don't worry," I look into her pristine chocolate brown eyes and smile, "I won't let you drown."

* * *

"Mom!" My mother is running out our front door with her arms out waiting for a hug. I quickly give her a hug before helping San and Lily out of the car. I give her a knowing look, she knows just as well as I do as soon as Lily's out of the car my mother is going to start to cry.

"It's so good to have all of you here, sweetie." A smile is pasted across my mother's face. As soon as Santana turns around holding Lily in her arms my mother's attention has left me and she stares lovingly down at Lily. "She really does look like you, Santana." The tears are starting to form in her eyes.

I look back at Santana who is smiles before speaking to my mother. "Would you like to hold her, Mrs. P- uhm Mom?" Her voice is sincere and empathetic.

Out of the corner of my eye I see my mother nod, patiently waiting for Santana to place Lily in her arms. As she hands our daughter to my mother my gaze never leave her face. The look of admiration never leaves her face; her eyes are filled with warmth and her face is adorned with a smile.

My mother's voice breaks me from my thoughts. "She's even more gorgeous in person." I look at my mother to see tears rolling slowly down her face. As if on cue Lily's eyes open and she graces us with a smile.

"See, I told you." Santana wraps her arm around my waist. The smile on her face grows even wider.

"I see what you mean. It's definitely a tie for me too. Thank you for giving me this. " My voice is no more than a whisper. I lean over and kiss her cheek, causing her to blush slightly.

"By some grace of God she has your smile, Britty." My mother looks into the eyes of my wife, a smile on her face. "Definitely a sign." she says and she passes Lily. "Don't worry about the luggage the boys will bring it in for you. Everyone is inside waiting anxiously. They can't wait to meet the two of you. Ashley never slept all night. It was like Christmas when you girls still believed in Santa. Crazy girl."

"Well we can't wait to meet them either." Santana says beginning to follow my mother towards the house.

I can't resist the urge to laugh, I had no idea how I had managed to believe in Santa Claus until I was sixteen given who my mother was; former hippies and Santa Claus don't really mix all that well. Yet I can't help wish we could stay here and everyday would be Christmas where we'd waste the day in the back yard making snow angels with the sun shining off the snow into our eyes. But I'd miss New York, I'd miss our home. New York was now my home with Santana and no amount of Ohio holidays was going to change that.

* * *

As soon as we enter the porch Ashley runs into the room, quickly wrapping her arms around Santana. "I missed you Tana!" I can't help but roll my eyes. It still amazes how my sister and wife connect so well; no matter how many times Santana says Ashely is crazy and annoys her I know that she's the little sister she never had to her.

"I missed you Ash, it's been way too long." I quickly follow suite and give my sister a hug after she reluctantly releases my wife; we frequently teased Ashely about the crush she used to have when she was small, whenever Santana and I babysat her she never left Santana's lap unless it was uncontrollable circumstances.

I decide this would be a good time for them to catch up. I make my way into the living room after releasing my sister and having Lily handed to me by my mother. I'm surrounded by four generations of my father's family, all smiling at me. I just smile back and don't say a word. The first one to speak is my grandfather who is sitting in an arm chair across from the focal point of the room.

"She's stunning, Schatje. Just like her mother." He says, his English thicken with his Dutch accent; a small smile forms on his strong, wrinkled face.

"Dank je opa." I smile back at him, completely unaware of what is about to happen.

"Where is Santana? What strange names men have in this country." The smile on his face grows wider. "I cannot wait to meet the praised Mr. Lopez who has made honourable woman out of my Brittany."

The smile on my face falters. I look at my father who's was is almost apathetic but I can see the fear and something else which I can only label as disappointment, yet I can tell the disappointment isn't directed at me.

"I'm right here, sir." I turn to look at Santana and I can instantly tell she only heard part of the conversation because there is a smile stretched across her face that I can tell isn't faked.

My grandfather's jaw almost drops to the floor and his face is now turning red. He turns to me then to my father as if he was looking for an explanation for this random woman to waltz into his son's home and say she was the spouse of his granddaughter. My father opens his mouth to speak then closes it again without saying a word. I look back at Santana and her smile is gone; a look of confusion and disenchantment has wiped it away.

My grandfather now ignores the fact that there are more people including children in the room and begins to yell. "Corinthians one, 6: 9-10. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived,"

I hang my head for a moment before cutting him off. "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I thought he had told him. He told me that everything was going to be fine when we came back here. No arguments, no getting upset. Simply enjoying being surrounded by family, showing Lily off like Santana and I had both been dieing to. Clearly we had both been wrong.

I look over at Santana to find that the smile hasn't returned but I can see a sense of pride on her face. I place Lily safely in her arms before giving my father a look. "Come on, San." I say as I wrap my arm around her waist protectively before leaving the room and my family behind us.

She doesn't speak until we're outside in the driveway and I take Lily from her putting her in the car seat in the back of my mother's black E-Class Mercedes Benz with tinted windows. I was planning on buying Santana this exact same car for her birthday. Puck had started bugging her ever since Lily was born that she'd have to start driving a hideous mini-van and give up her two colbat blue Dodge Challenger. I figured this car would be perfect for her, practically and safe for her to travel with Lily yet still sleek enough to be considered "badass" as my wife liked to call it.

"Where are we going B?" Santana's voice is concerned. I can tell she's scared and confused.

"We are going to go my favorite spot in Lima and try to forget what just happened for a few hours." I give her the best smile I can muster as I shut Lily's door.

"But," She starts but I cut her off knowing exactly what she's going to say.

"No buts, San. I am going to deal with it when we come back to the house but right now I want to have some quality time with my two favorite girls, okay?" I give her a quick kiss before opening the car door for her.

She gives me a slight smile as she gets in the car. "You've got the sunscreen right?" I chuckle at her remembering when she came home a week ago carrying a bag containing about ten bottles of sunscreen. "My skin isn't flawless just because of good genes ya know? Gots ta make sure ma baby has great skin too." She had said.

"Yes, San, I have the sunscreen stop being such a worry wart." I carefully shut her door for her before making my way to the driver's side of the car. I hope that by the time we return to the house the fear I feel now is gone.

We had been sitting at a picnic table at the playground where I first met Santana at six year old with Lily in her stroller next to us for a little longer than an hour before Santana brings up my grandfather's reaction. "You didn't tell him did you? That's why he wasn't at our wedding." A frown is on her face.

She has a right to be upset about this, I expected her to freak out completely because that's what I deserved. "No, I didn't tell him. My father said that he'd tell him before we arrived in Ohio, and I was gullible enough to believe him. Me and my grandfather aren't exactly what you'd call close given the geography of our relationhip and the fact it's only been to America three time; my parent's wedding and to visit after me and Ashley were born. Sure I'd see him when we went to visit in the summer and talked on the phone. Even though I know he loves me and he give me the world if he could, we never quite clicked if you know what I mean? But when we get back to the house I'll face him and tell him everything. Unfortunately he doesn't approve very much of American ways cause my great grandfather was a soldier during the war who got my great grandmother pregnant yet went back to the US anyways leaving her to raise my grandfather alone. Even though he left she gave my grandpa his last name. It's why my last name is Pierce instead of Hendricksen. It definitely doesn't help that he's part of Holland's minority of devout Catholics either. So this could really get ugly." I look straight into her eyes and I'm surprised. I expect to see anger and fear but I only see pride and admiration.

"No, Brittany." Her words don't make any sense to me considering her facial expression.

"I'm sorry, what?" I'm utterly confused.

"What I mean is that I'm proud of you for wanting to stand up to your grandfather all by yourself but I'm not going to let you do this alone. You are my wife and we're going to do this together, whether you like it or not." She lets a small giggle slip. "I don't think I ever told you this but that day your father accepted that we were together I spoke to him. And I told him that I would protect you but you didn't need it because you were strong, caring, loving, that you were the best person I'd ever met. You were still his daughter, his little girl and you always would be." Tears are forming in her eyes. "And I told him that I loved you more than anything in this world. So we're going to do this together because I love you and you don't deserve to do this alone."

I take her hand in mine and smile. "Okay. We'll do this together." I know now that I don't need to be afraid anymore, Santana is going to be there beside me, just like she always will be.


	7. Six

After the last chapter I'm hoping you guys don't want to throw a brick at my head! Thanks again for your support! Hope you enjoy!

Six. Emergency  
"It's really not your fault that no one cares to talk about it.  
Cause I've seen love die way too many times when it deserved to be alive."  
- Emergency, Paramore

I can't help but feel nervous as we enter Brittany's childhood home but I put on the best smile I can muster. I know she sees right through it but it's more for my benefit than hers. I feel her reassuring hand on the small of my back as I take a deep breath. It's time to face the music, Santana.

"Let's put Lily down for a nap in my, well our, room before we get into this. I do not want her to go through that again no matter how well she handled it." She says motioning to our sleeping daughter in my arms. We had both been amazed that she had not cried when Brittany's grandfather raised his voice. At home in New York she had cried if Puck so much as laughed too loudly while he was in the same room.

"That sounds like the best thing to do." I agree with her knowing she's right as she gives me a forced grin. "It's okay to be nervous or scared, Britt." I look into her eyes so she can sense my sincerity. "I'm not going anywhere we're going to do this together." I give her a quick peck on the lips before hesitantly entering further into the house.

We somehow manage to make our way to our room without running into anyone besides Ashley who was unnaturally quiet. When Brittany had asked her where their grandfather was she had simply said he was in the study with their parents in a voice that was barely louder than a whisper before continuing down the hallway.

"I don't want to leave her. I just want to stay here and watch her sleep, she looks so peaceful." She says as I lay Lily down in her crib.

"You can watch her sleep after we've gotten everything resolved, okay? Just think about that to keep you composed when we're talking to them." I say hoping it will calm her nerves even if it's only a little bit.

"Okay. Let's get this done and over with." She takes my hand in hers. "Night, Lily." She places a kiss on her opposing hand before placing it on my daughter's cheek. I can't resist the instinct to smile. "Let's do this." Brittany's eyes meet mine before our lips mirror the action in a soft yet passionate kiss.

As we pull apart I take a deep breath. "Let's do this."

* * *

"There's no turning back now." I can hear Britt mumble under her breath as she hesitantly knocks on the study door. She doesn't wait for a response before opening the door.

Her grandfather is sitting in a dark brown wing chair in front of a stone fire place. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are sitting on a matching couch with their backs to the door; only my mother in-law turns around to acknowledge our entrance into the room which is filled with silence.

After receiving a small smile from her mother Brittany leads me into the study with a firm hold on my hand. I only now notice the other couch across from them as we reach the other side of the room. It was the first time I had been in this room; Mr. Pierce never allowed us to be in here because Brittany tended to be too adventurous and wreck his paper work when she played in there before we met. I take a seat next to Brittany across from her parents. I can see the shame on her father's features. I expected the shame to be directed at his daughter but I can only see it directed at himself. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Brittany's grandfather; his arms folded, his face almost apathetic.

We sit in silence for what feels like hours before I get up the nerve to break the silence. "Mr. Pierce, I under."

I don't even get to finish my word before I'm silenced. "Do not speak to me." His voice is laced with malice.

Brittany quickly comes to my defence. "Don't you dare speak to her like that." Her tone frightens me, it's so calm and serious yet I can tell how furious she is. Her hold on my hand tightens. "You very well know I'm too much of a child at heart to be good with words that don't come in the form of silly analogies but I'm going to try and you're going to let her help me explain this to you because she's just as big a part of this as I am." She doesn't say anything more. I rub the back of her hand with my thumb as I feel her palm begin to sweat.

There is a quick flicker of contentment on her grandfather face that lasts only a moment before he nods hesitantly.

I take this as a sign and begin to speak again. "Mr. Pierce I understand that you're angry, upset, confused and maybe even scared. That's not your fault you weren't aware of this before we came here because no one talks about it. But I need you to do something for me. I need you to remember the look on Brittany's face when she walked into the family room this afternoon. I need you to remember what she sounded like the last time you spoke with her on the phone." I stop for a moment to let him process what I've just said. Out of the corner of my eye I can see a small smile on Brittany's face that wasn't there before I had begun speaking.

Mr. Pierce hesitantly nods his head, signalling me to continue but before I even open my mouth Britt squeezes my hand. I turn my head slightly to look at her. She smiles wider as if to say she's got this covered. "Opa, she asked you to do that because she was trying to show you that I'm happy and that I made a decision to do this, she didn't force me into anything. You know that I've never been this happy before. Santana makes me happy. Do you remember when I asked you how you knew that Oma was _the one_?" She emphasizes her last two words.

"You told me that you just knew. That you couldn't help but feel like a lovesick teenager every time you saw her. That your heart would race and you couldn't resist the urge to smile at everything she did that was unique to her. Do you remember that?" Mr. Pierce his mouth to speak but Brittany stops him. "Santana makes me feel like that, Opa. She makes me feel all that and more. And she always has. I'll believe in love and happy endings like a little girl now matter how old I get because she's shown me what true love is." Brittany goes to speak again but I stop her.

"I don't mean to interrupt and sound disrespectful Mr. Pierce but I love your granddaughter and that's what matters. I know that your belief in God is great and it might cause this to scare you but, a new commandment that I give unto you, that you love one another. I've heard Brittany say this verse many times and I don't think that she should be punished for her loving me, sir. I've seen relationships and love die when it deserved to be alive too many times in my life, sir. And you know that Brittany has had her fair share of storms and battles in life. You know that she's fought like hell to stay strong. You know that she builds her walls up to hide and walks tall so that no one can see the pain she feels when people tear her down. So she deserves her happy ending. She deserves to have that one person who sees through her mask and breaks down those walls. She deserves that person who is there for her no matter what. I was raised to be a good person, and I am that person for your granddaughter and I always will be. I wouldn't be wearing this ring on my finger if I wasn't." I quickly motion to my hand that is currently held in Brittany's. "So I need you, she needs you to understand this and let her have her happy ending with having to fight you for it."

I don't need to say anything more because I notice that there are tears in Brittany's grandfather's eyes. "Brittany, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I over reacted but I didn't want anything to ruin your chances of seeing the kingdom of God but I understand. Santana, I'm sorry for our first meeting was under those circumstances. But thank you, thank you for making me understand that you love her and you're a good person. God should be glad that you've both found love." Mr. Pierce chuckles slightly with a smile before wiping the tears from his eyes.

I now know who Brittany resembles. When I first met her parents I could tell automatically that she was their daughter because of the relationship they had but she physically looked unique; she hadn't inherited their green eyes or smiles. I have only now noticed that Mr. Pierce's eyes are the exact shade of blue that I had classified as unique to Brittany. His smile has the same wide goofy characteristic to it.

I feel Brittany's hand release mine and before I know it she's hugging her grandfather tightly. "Thank you, Opa. You have no idea what this means to me." A huge smile has now formed on my face and I can't stop the tears from forming in my eyes.

"No thanks are needed, liefje. I should have just waited for your side of things before yelling at you. I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry." Mr. Pierce looks over Brittany's shoulder at me as he speaks. His eyes meet mine and I can tell that he's telling me that this apology is for me as well. I nod in thanks. I can tell his words are sincere and aren't forced; he understands. "Now can get I too see my achterkleindochter?" He chuckles again; it's her chuckle.

"Of course you can, Opa. Of course you can but she's asleep right now so you're going to have to wait 'til morning to play around with her but you can go take a look in on her now though." Brittany says with a slight sniffle.

"I had made Brittany's favorite for dessert and I saved some for her and Santana so would you like to go to the kitchen and then you guys can have a nice chat? You can get to know Santana better." Brittany's mother speaks, continuing to lighten the mood.

"I think that would be the best to let Lily sleep but I would like to get to know you better Santana." Mr. Pierce replies with a smile that I've seen many times before on the face of his granddaughter, my wife.

* * *

"You like pepernoten?" Brittany's eyebrow is raised.

"Yes, of course I like it. It's a dessert who doesn't like dessert?" I spread a smile across my face to try and convince her.

"Santana, you're a picky eater, you."

"Yes, I am but pep- peper whatever is great." I don't allow her to continue speaking because I know if she continues the topic the mood in the room is likely to become awkward.

"So Santana, I know very little about you accept that you love my granddaughter and you apparently like pepernoten." Mr. Pierce chuckles with a smile. "You must tell me more about yourself."

"Well, sir." I begin to speak but Brittany's grandfather holds up his hand to stop me.

"Please you're family. You must call me Niek. What was your childhood like, do you have siblings?"

"No I don't have siblings so my house was pretty quiet growing up. I have a great relationship with my parents. They're both professionals so they weren't home a lot but when they were we spent their time with me. It would have been nice to have siblings but Brittany was always there to keep me company. I've known her since I was six." I can't help but smile at the thought of the six year old Brittany I first met with a missing front tooth and pigtails.

"Now that's sweet, I'm sure Britty was excellent company. What do you do? A person's career says a lot about them."

"I'm a pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon. I work a lot of hours but I love my job, and I love what I get to come home to so things work out perfectly." I give him a smile.

"Ah, you have God's hand, if you will." I can't help but chuckle at him. "An honourable profession. I'm sure with all that pressure you must have things you enjoy after work to take the pressure off."

"I enjoy music. I sing and taught myself how to play piano during our senior year of high school and first year of university. I surprisingly got the hang out it quite fast, at first I used to drive Brittany nuts because I used to play at all hours."

"I'm sure you'll be teaching Lily when she is old enough."

"I like how you think, Niek." I chuckle before looking to my wife. "I forgot to tell you Britt, Rachel is convinced that Lily is going to be the star of Broadway she's older."

"Broadway? That is the place where they have the big musicals. Am I correct?"

"Yes, Opa. That's the place." I finally give some input into their conversation.

"If this Rachel is right just make sure she has a good head shoulders. If that is what she wants she should have it if she works hard and it is what makes her happy." Britt's grandfather gives her smile that brings tears to her eyes; letting me know that the both fully understands and accepts my family.

"I think it's been enough for one night," She says knowing that if we continuing talking she'll be blubbering like a baby within a couple minutes. "We'll all get to talk again tomorrow. Come on, Santana let's get you to bed." Brittany stands up from her chair; giving me a small smile and taking my hand. Just by the look in her eyes I can tell that she knows she made the right choice today. And I have never been more proud.


	8. Seven

Seven. Tell Me Why  
"I'm sick and tired of your attitude, feeling like I don't know you.  
You tell me that you love me then cut me down."  
- Tell Me Why, Taylor Swift

Someone once said that your child is like your heart walking around outside of your body. Even after seeing countless parents of sick children I thought this statement to be slightly dramatic. I still thought that way until this very moment.

The deafening silence in the operating room. The sight of monitors being shut off. The stillness of the child that lay on the table. They changed everything.

* * *

"_For the hundredth freaking time, Britt, I'm ready!" I yelled at her. Her tone was making me angrier by the second. "Why are you so set on making this difficult? You're acting like a stranger, what happened to the woman who told me I was a great doctor? Why are you here telling me that I'm not?" I say putting my dishes in the sink before giving her a disappointed look._

"_I'm not trying to make this difficult. I never said you weren't great. I'm trying to make sure that you don't overdo it on your first real day back. I'm just trying to remind you that going back there today is going to be different." Her tone is the most condescending I've ever heard from her. _

"_It's not going to be different Brittany." I can't help but use her full name for her to get the seriousness of my point. "I'm not going to sit down and take it easy when there are sick children that need my help when I am fully capable of helping them. That's what our vacation was for, time to get myself together, recuperate from what happened to us."_

"_That is not what I mean!" She sighs in frustration before continuing her rant. "I mean that you're not going to back that hospital just as a surgeon, Santana. You're going back there as a surgeon who is a mother, who also works with extremely sick children. You need to ease yourself back into this San, or it's all going to blow up in your face when you least expect it and you won't have a clue at what to do."_

_I leave the kitchen and put on my jacket, throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder. "I am perfectly being capable of going back to work, and for implying that I'm not I'm going to drop Lily off at the daycare and you are to drive to yourself to work." Brittany had gone back to work yesterday, only teaching her morning class rather than teaching all school day. I take Lily from Brittany who is holding her in her car seat. "Yes, Lily. Your Momma is stubborn. She doesn't think Mami can do it. We'll show her right, baby girl?" I give her a kiss on her forehead as she gurgles in reply. I leave the apartment without another word to Brittany. No, I was too proud for that._

* * *

My heart feels like it's been ripped out of my chest; no anaesthesia. It feels as if my airways are beginning to close. My hand is quivering uncontrollably. The grip on the scalpel in my hand is tighter than my hold on reality at this moment.

"Dr. Lopez?" My head scrub nurse is standing across the table from me giving me a concerned look. I know I should answer her but it is as if I've become catatonic. "Dr. Lopez?" She asks again trying to entice me to speak. "Would you like me to get," I don't let her finish her sentence before I beginning nodding my head almost franticly. She immediately steps away and begins walking swiftly out of the room. All my hopes are on her shoulders now. I hope they're not breaking.

* * *

_Pulling into the Mount Sinai staff parking lot I let out an audible breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. After hopping out of my Dodge Charger, I quickly pull my seat forward to reveal my daughter sleeping soundly in her car seat. I smile automatically forms on my face. "This is going to be interesting." I say with a chuckle, Lily was bound to cause some trouble in daycare, even as a month and a half old she seemed to attract trouble. Whether it be creating a fuss over not being held right or someone being to loud she'd let you know about it by bawling her little lungs out. "It's just you and me, kid." I say in a whisper. _

_Before I even reach the daycare I've been ambushed by nurses wanting to take a look at the legendary Lily Lopez, the newest addition to the Sinai surgical family. I was thankfully rescued by none other than Noah Puckerman, "Okay, ladies. I think Dr. Lopez would actually like to get to work before lunch so would you excuse us." He places a hand on my shoulder and begins to lead me down the hall towards my destination. _

"_Thank you, I didn't think I was going to be able to handle them myself for much longer." I chuckle at the thought of the nurses being taken aback my Puck's arrival. _

"_Anytime, Lopez. Speaking of you being by yourself, where is that other half of yours?" Puck's laugh echoes through the hallway causing Lily to stir slightly._

"_Puck, how many times do we have to tell you not to laugh so loud? You're going to terrorize her." I give him a look. "And to answer you question, she's at home or on her way to work by now I'm sure." I roll my eyes, which doesn't go unnoticed by Puck._

"_Oh no, there's trouble in paradise?" He says slightly sarcastically. _

"_Sure, Puck, there's trouble in paradise." I mock his words. "Brittany keeps telling me that I'm not ready. She keeps telling me that it's not going to be the same thing as before. She talks to me like I'm a child who needs to be explained that when their dog died they're not going to see them again or something." _

"_She sort of has a point, don't you think, Santana?" His words are somewhat of a shock. I never expected such words to come out of Noah Puckerman, even as a 'changed' man. "It's not like you were off on vacation in the Bahamas or something, you had a child. Having a child changes you. You and I both know that." _

"_Shut up, Puckerman. Shouldn't you be stapling tummy tucks or something?" I'm even surprised at the tone of my voice. It's not my usual tone; not for a long shot._

"_Fine, I'll leave you alone. But think about that I said. Deep down you know she's right." Puck gives me a small pat on the back before taking his hand of my shoulder. "Welcome back, Lopez."_

* * *

The silence in the OR is broken once again, but this time it's from a familiar run of mixed English and Spanish I've heard countless times. My gaze on my patient's face is moved to the figure of my wife entering the room. I can see the worry and fear in her eyes. It is as if someone had taken the life out of them. The thought of this causes the tears that had been unknowingly forming in my eyes to begin to flow down my face and a small whimper to escape my lips.

"Dr." She stops, now noticing the room is empty except for me, my patient on the table, and her. "Santana." Her voice is concerned, whatever trace of her condescending tone from this morning is gone. I look at her and open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. "Santana, I need you to but the scalpel down." A small sad smile is now on her face. "Can you do that for me?"

I only now remember my shaking hand holding the scalpel. I don't reply but after a few moments I can feel the grip on the object in my hand disappear; I hear the small clang of the scalpel hitting the floor. As if holding onto that scalpel was my last form of resistance, sobs now take over my body. The world around me blurs and all I can comprehend is the feeling of two warm arms wrapping themselves around me.

* * *

_Isla Hernandez. Age 7. Three vehicle crash victim. Emergency thoracotomy. I had been all into the ER mere minutes after getting changed in the attending's lounge._

"_Okay, Dr. Allen I need you to get her prepped and to book an OR ASAP." I close the chart that is in my hands before handing it back to the familiar resident. "Scrub in. I'll be there in less than five minutes." She doesn't answer, she simply follows my orders. She motions to a group of nurses around a gurney behind her to follow her._

_I'm scrubbing in after what seems like seconds. As I entire the OR I notice something's different. My patient, Isla, is wide awake on the table. "Do we have a problem here?" I ask in my most calm, sincere voice; trying to not scare her. _

"_Our patient here is allergic to the anaesthesia. So we could only put her under local anaesthesia." The anaesthesiologist gives me a look of slight concerned._

"_Okay, well that shouldn't be much of a problem now should it?" My question is rhetorical but I receive a nod from the anaesthesiologist. I look down at Isla who is lying on my table; she looks so familiar. _

_Her eyes are russet brown and are widened slightly in fear. I can see her dark brown hair peaking out beneath her surgical cap. She instantly reminds me of one of the two most important people in my entire world. "I'm Dr. Lopez but you can call me Santana if you like." I say with a smile, Isla gives me a small nod. "Okay we're going to get started now, so just relax. You're going to be okay." I give my scrub nurses a nod to signal them to put up the sheet. "Scalpel, please." My voice is as cheery as possible, trying not to scare the small child whose life is in my hands._

* * *

"Santana." I open my eyes to find the operating room has disappeared only to be replaced by the familiar surroundings of _our_ on-call room. Brittany has wrapped her warm arm around me, our legs are intertwined. "Its okay, Santana, I'm right here." Her fingers are absentmindedly playing with my hair. I bury my face into Brittany neck, trying to hide from everything that's happened today. "Shh, it's okay. You don't have to talk about it right now if you don't want to but you're going to have to tell me later okay. You know it's not good to bottle things up inside for too long." I can feel her kiss the top of my head, her hold on me tightens, making me feel safe.

"How did we get here?" are the only words I can say right now, and even they stumble out of my mouth like I'm that six year old with a stutter all over again.

"After I caught you in the OR after you had a small panic attack and blacked out. I knew it was from all the stress so I carried you back here so that you could rest comfortably. I'm so glad you're awake, I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up anytime soon. I was so scared." I look up to find that tears are now forming in her eyes and it's killing me. I hate making her upset, even if it's unintentional.

"I-I want to tell you." I manage to spit out before reaching up and placing my hand on her cheek. "Y-You were right."

I can see the confusion in her eyes. "I was right about what, sweetie?" She doesn't know what I'm talking about. It is as if she doesn't remember our fight this morning.

"You were right about things being d-different." My voice is barely audible, it's no more than a whisper.

"I'm sorry about that, baby. I hate that I was right because I know how much you wanted to just be able to go back to work and things to be the exact same. You didn't want our personal life to affect your work because you love these kids so much and you didn't want anything to damage your ability to help them." She takes a deep breath before continuing. "But this hasn't damaged it. It's just makes you relate to things differently. That doesn't make you less of a doctor or a surgeon. It makes you better. It makes you an even greater doctor." I can hear the compassion in Brittany's voice; I love it when she talks like this, it was one of the many things about her that made me fall completely in love with her. "Just tell what happened and why it made you feel like this, San."

* * *

"_Okay, we're half way done. Not much longer, Isla." I stick my head past the curtain that stops Isla from seeing what I'm doing. I receive a small smile from the gir that reminds me so much of Brittany l before returning back to work. "What?" My work area is now quickly filling with blood._

"_I don't feel so well, Santana." Isla's voice enters my conscious._

"_Dr. Lopez her BP is dropping and fast." I can hear the alarm the anaesthesiologist's tone._

"_Santana, what's happening?" The fear in her voice is inevitable. _

"_Don't worry, Isla we're going to fix it." I keep my voice as calm as I can, I've never had a patient awake on my table._

"_Allen, I need you to help me find the bleeders, quickly." She follows my orders without a word._

"_We're losing her, Dr. Lopez. She's starting to go unconscious." My scrub nurse gives me a look of concern. _

"_Reed, take over, hurry." I say as a move slightly to the other side of the curtain. "I need you to stay awake. Look at me, talk if you can okay?" _

"_She's bradycardiac." _

"_Allen, Reed, find those bleeders now." I raise my voice trying to emphasize the importance of their task. "It's okay sweetie. Just keep looking at me. I'm right here." Before I know it the monitors are blaring; her heart has stopped. I can see the life drain from her familiar russet brown eyes, and it kills me. _

"_She's gone." Reed says as he steps away from the table. He looks at me to pronounce time of death but I can't bring myself to do it. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest as the words escape his mouth."Time of death 10:41"_

_My gaze doesn't leave my patient's face, even though it's not her face I see._

* * *

"It wasn't your fault, honey. There was nothing you could have none differently, it was out of your control." Brittany is assuring me, but she's assuring something to me I already know and not what I need to. Sobs start to wrack through my body; and everything besides for Britt and me disappears.

It feels like hours until I break the silence that has been created by the stopping of my sobs. "It's not the fact that she died, I know there was nothing I could do. It was that, it was that." I take a deep breath, I know it's something I need to do or I won't be able to continue.

"Baby steps, Santana, baby steps." She says telling me to take my time.

"It was that every time I looked at her I didn't see her. I saw Lily or you. She had Lily's hair and the same brown eyes with both of your contagious smile. Every time I looked at her I saw you as a child or Lily when she gets older. I couldn't handle it. It was like I was losing you both even though you weren't even in the room." The fear in my voice doesn't go unnoticed by my wife.

"Hey, I'm right here." She takes my hand and places it over her heart. "My heart is still beating, I'm still breathing. I'm not going anywhere." The feeling of her heart beating inside her chest against my hand calms me. "Lily is downstairs in the daycare center living and breathing just the same way as you and me. She's not going anywhere either, baby."

"I know, I know. I just, I would lose everything if anything happened to either of you. I love you too much." I can't resist placing a kiss on Brittany's lips. "God, I love you so much."

"I love you more than life itself." Brittany places her forehead against mine. "What would you say about going down and seeing our daughter?" A smile has now spread across her face, involuntarily causing me to smile.

"I'd love that. Let's go see Lily." I look into Brittany's eyes. I find everything I need to see in life; compassion, happiness, trust, and love. Everything I knew Brittany would teach our daughter.


	9. Eight

Eight. My Heroine  
"You taught my heart a sense I never knew I had.  
I can't forget the times when I was lost and depressed from the awful truth.  
How do you do it, you're my heroine."  
- My Heroine, Silverstein

"Welcome home, babe." I say as I get up off the couch as Santana enters the apartment. I pick up Lily's hand and start waving it. "I missed you, Mami." I say in a quiet voice, as if I was a small child.

Santana looks up from the floor as she shuts the door behind her. A broad smile spreads across her as she opens her arms. "I missed you too, baby." She says in a sweet voice, her love is audible in her tone, as she takes Lily from me. Lily makes eye contact with Santana and makes a smile on her small angelic face. "It still gives me chills up my spine." She says before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"What does, love?" I wrap my arms around her waist; I'm so close that I give Lily a kiss on her forehead without a thought.

"That she's so beautiful. She looks so much like me, yet she has your smile." Her voice is almost a whisper; the look on her face is one of complete admiration and love.

"I know, she's amazing. Just like her Mami." I give Santana her favorite smile just to make her laugh. "So what is on the agenda for this evening?" I take Lily from Santana so she can hang up her coat.

"As much as I would love to curl up with my two favorite girls and just watch a movie I think we should start figuring out where we're going to live when the lease is up at the end of next month."

I see her point. When we brought Lily home we had both agreed that when the lease was up we'd buy ourselves a house, a home. "You go take a nice shower and I'll put this little monster to bed, okay?"

"No way, I'm going to take a shower and you're going not going to put Lily to bed because I haven't seen her all day and she's wide awake. She's staying with me while you do all the work on the computer." She says with a laugh.

"Well if she falls asleep on you and is cranky in the morning, it's your fault not mine." I say echoing her laugh as she enters our bathroom. She knew I was only kidding; we loved spending night curled up with Lily in bed watching movies or television. Lily was a night owl just like Santana yet she was still a manage to function in the morning like me; clearly she had gotten over her sleep like a rock 'til one in the afternoon phase that was a lot like Santana in high school. Something tells me tonight was going to be interesting.

* * *

"Let's get this party started!" Santana's impeccable enthusiasm was clear in her voice as she took a seat next to me on the couch. As she takes Lily from my arms I can't help but smell her hair. The sweet, yet subtle, aroma of oranges and cinnamon fills my senses.

"Do you have any idea where to start? Because all I know is that I want us to live in a house big enough for us to grow into. And in a neighbourhood close enough for you to get to the hospital quickly but not close enough to be able to hear the sirens." I had no idea where the best neighbourhoods for us to live, my mind has been otherwise detained between getting Lily settled at the daycare and Santana back to her usual self after the incident she had had at work.

"Well, we'll look at schools first, then the neighbourhoods themselves, then the sizes of the houses." Just by the tone in her voice I can tell she's been thinking about this all day.

"Schools?" My eyebrow is raised. "What does a school have to do with us buying a house?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, we have a daughter who's two months old. Her name is Lily, remember? And we'll have more children who will need to go school. So we'll need to live in an area with one of the best schools." A smirk is on her face.

"Now, I see your point." I chuckle. "School's it is then."

* * *

"I'm tired, Britt. This isn't getting anywhere, we've look at least fifty five different houses in four different neighbourhoods." We had been at this for at least two and a half hours.

"Come on, San. Lily here is more awake then you are. Doesn't that bother you in the slightest?" I knew all the right buttons to push; I was feeding her competitive side because I knew she wasn't going to be able to resist. "Just three more then I promise we'll go to bed." I add with a wink. She just rolls her eyes at me and smiles.

The first one Santana chooses next is a complete dud. It was a foreclosure that definitely did not receiving tender loving care. But the second was a completely different story. They say that when you've found the love of your life you just know; it was the same way with this house. Santana and I just looked at each other and we just knew it was the right place for us to raise our children, the right place for us to be a family.

It was a two story house built in the 1920's; it had been redone to modern standards but still had its old-fashion charm, even the original hardwood floors that were still in tack were in good condition. There were five bedrooms, enough for Lily and our future children to have their own rooms, San and I to have our room, and a room left over for an office. The kitchen was big enough for me to cook for us without almost knocking things over due to lack of counter space, and we even had room for a full sized dinning room table. There was a large back porch and yard large enough for our kids to play in. It was _the_ house.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" I ask, I can't help but giggle, I'm too excited to keep in it.

"I definitely think I am, Britt. I definitely think I am. We'll call the realtor tomorrow." Santana's infamous smile spreads across her face as she chuckles slightly, looking down at Lily. This provokes her to laugh for the first time.

"You think it's the one too, Lily? Don't yah?" I can't help but lean over and give her Eskimo kisses, she laughs again, as I pull away giving her a goofy grin.

"I think that Lily, is silly just like her Momma, but she's right." Santana begins to tickle Lily's toes, who lets out a little squeal. "You're Mami and Momma's smart little girl, aren't you? Aren't you?" Santana looks up at me; you can see the pride in her eyes. "Thank you."

I automatically give her a quizzical look. "For what?"

She manages to wrap all of her emotions in to one single short kiss. "For giving me the two best things in my life."

I never knew how it was possible for someone to love someone so much. I never knew who it was possible for someone to love some one so small; even though I knew that a parent's love was undeniable. Those late nights after parties where my two best friends were a bottle of tequila and an empty bed in high school made me believe that I would never be able to. Yet here I am looking at my beautiful wife holding my daughter and I can't get over how much I love her; even when she's fussy and crying I adore every moment of it, that goes for the both of them. I can't get over how much I could love someone who was so selfless under her exterior. I don't know how she did it but there is only one person that made me capable of such an undying love; Santana.

"No thanks are needed. Let's get our little monster to bed before she starts telling us to go to sleep because we're keeping her up." I laugh as Santana holds Lily out to me, pouting. "A minute ago you were begging me to let you go to bed. Now stop being such a sook. We have the day off tomorrow, we get to spend the entire day with her. Come tuck her in with me."

"Fine," Santana grumbles jokingly.

"You're singing both her and me tonight." I retaliate and a smirk crawls across her face as she gets up off the couch.

"You got it, baby." She says, wrapping her arm around my waist. "You got it."

* * *

"I'm so glad we're done with all this moving in stuff. I just want to relax." I say as I sit down on the patio couch. "The view is beautiful, isn't it?" Santana is sitting next to me staring at our view of the city from our back porch.

Santana looks away from the view and gives me a playful smile, "Yeah, you are."

"I was talking about the view of the city but I'm glad you think so. Thank you." I place my hand on her knee and give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Santana quickly pulls herself into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. "She's going to like it here, right?" A small worried smile forms on her face.

"Of course she will, love." I wrap my arm her waist. "It's just a new house, a new place for her to sleep." We decided to try having Lily sleeping in her own room; it had just taken us an hour and a half to get her to sleep, but we knew it was what was best for her. "Do you remember when we first brought her to Ohio, not the first night because she was so tired, but the second night? Remember how much she cried, how long it took us to get her to sleep?"

"I remember." Her voice is barely a whisper. She places her lips on mine.

With the simple touch of her lips frenzy begins. I can almost feel the adrenaline beginning to course through my veins. I can't resist letting a moan slip out of my mouth. "Mhmm, Santana." Her tongue flicks across my lips. "San, s-stop." I manage to have the will power to stop her before it gets out of hand.

Santana pouts, trying to get a reaction out of me. "Britt-Britt."

"As much as I want to do this, I don't think that giving our neighbours a show would be the best idea on our first night in the neighbourhood." I chuckle.

The pout disappears from Santana face, "Well, why don't we continue this inside?" Her playful smirk has replaced the pout.

"Now that, that is something I couldn't say no to." Before the end of my sentence is out of my mouth, she's jumped off my lap and taken my hand pulling me up off the patio couch.

As we reach the hall, a loud knock on the door echoes through the house forcing Santana to unattached her lips from mine. "Uh, who would be knocking on our door at this hour? We just moved in this morning, for Pete's sake." The frustration is clear in her voice.

"Let's go answer the door, honey." I say with a slightly frustrated tone of my own. I take the hand I just had in Santana's hair and hold her hand in my own. Once we reach the door I don't let go like I normally do.

As Santana answers the door the devilish smirk she had on her face disappears; it's replaced by shock, sadness and something I can only name as rage. Neither she nor I even get to open our mouths before Santana is bombarded by a bear hug from the stranger at our front door. "I missed you, Tana!"

By the time I get to take in what is going on in front of me I feel Santana's grip on my hand vanish. Her hands are now forcing away the stranger holding on to her for dear life, before she runs out of the room to what I can only assume is our bedroom with a slam of the door. The petite brunette woman acts as if nothing had just happens and gives me a smile. "You must be Brittany, I've heard a lot about you."


	10. Nine

This chapter takes place from both of the girl's POV. _Santana's is in italics_ and Brittany's in regular font. Hope you guys enjoys!

Nine. Leave Out All The Rest  
"All the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well,  
pretending, someone else can come and save me from myself."  
- Leave Out All The Rest, Linkin Park

"_Who the hell are you and why the hell are you at my house?" I can hear Brittany's uncharacteristically raised voice echoing through the house. _

"_You have no idea who I am, do you?" A voice that I really wish would go away answered._

"_No, I do not. Now, tell me who you are and why my wife ran away from you before I kick your ass to the curb." Without being in the same room I could feel Brittany's anger grow by the second. _

"_Well that's no way to treat your sister in-law, is it? Reyna Lopez, reporting for duty." I didn't need to be physically standing in the room to see the slightly smug grin that was probably plastered across my sister's face._

* * *

I take in what the stranger in front of me has just said. I focus on her features; her eyes chocolate brown and her hair raven black. That smug grin on her face is so familiar. "S-San doesn't have a, you're, you're." I can't even compose a complete sentence.

"Yes, I am." Her tone is almost cold. Her presence has confused me.

"W-Why are you here? I-I don't understand," Before she is able to give me an answer I can hear Lily begin to cry upstairs. "Y-you need to leave." I leave Reyna behind as I climb the stairs to Lily's room, hoping that when I returned downstairs to see if Santana was alright Reyna would be gone.

* * *

"What are you doing here, considering my wife just asked you to leave, Reyna?" Santana stern voice catches my attention as I exit Lily's room, shutting the door behind me. As I make my way into the living room I notice that Reyna is sitting on the couch whilst my wife is staring down at her with a paramount look of rage on her face; this side of her didn't come out as often as it used to, I'd now consider it a rarity. It scared me to see it come about due to her sister's presence.

"You know why I'm here. I came to see my sister and her happy ending. It took you guys long enough to have that beautiful niece of mine. I would have thought you'd have had a dozen by now." A smile crawls across Reyna's face.

y stomach churns a little at the woman's last statement. Santana and I had planned on having children earlier but life kept getting in the way as it always does. First it was med school, then it was internship. After her second year of residency Santana and I decided to wait until her last year of residency so that she would have a better handle on balancing work and home in order to make the best of becoming parents. She had had enough of saying no to me every time I asked, I had been dying to have children with Santana since I was seventeen years old and it broke my heart every time that one little word left her mouth; yet I kept on asking. I was always afraid we'd run out of time, our scare with Lily's birth had only reaffirmed my fears with our desire to have more children. I remember the look on Quinn's face whilst I was in recovery; she looked almost heartbroken when she told us that conception for me was going to be difficult if we decided I were to carry our other children. I hold onto the fact the fact that she hadn't used the word 'impossible' because 'difficult' was something I could handle, something Santana and I could handle together.

"Get out of my house, Reyna. I'm not going through this again." I can see the tears starting to form in Santana's eyes as her voice cracks at the end of her words.

"Fine. But I'll be back again tomorrow morning. You know I will." She gets up off the couch and wraps her arms around Santana who's as stiff as a board; standing straight up trying not to cry. "I love you, Tana." She gives her a quick kiss on the cheek causing my wife to flinch before quietly leaving the house.

I can't help but feel slightly betrayed; I'd known Santana since I was six years old, for over twenty years and not once had she ever mentioned having a sister. She looks at me and I can see not only sadness in her but guilt. This renders me speechless; I have nothing I can say to make her feel better, to make whatever is bothering her go away.

I simply take her into my arms. As soon as my hold on her is strong enough to keep her from falling Santana completely lets go. Her once stiff body has now become limb. The tears that were forming in her eyes roll down her cheeks. "I'm tired." Her voice is so quiet it is almost raspy

"I know, honey, I know." I say before kissing the top of her head to try and comfort her.

"I want to sleep." Her voice is a slightly louder now but it's still minuscule.

"Let's go to bed." I slowly unwrap my arms but I take hold of her hand. I try and lead her to our bedroom but she doesn't budge. "Santana." She looks me in the eye and I know what I have to do. I turn around and lean over slightly, she slowly lifts herself onto my back; we haven't done this in years. I can feel her arms wrap my neck while her legs follow suit around my waist. "It's okay, honey, everything's going to be okay."

* * *

I roll over wrapping my arms around empty air, discovering Santana's side of the bed empty. I look at the clock. 3:54 am. I listen closely; I can hear the slight creak of the rocking chair in Lily's room faintly on the baby monitor next to the bed. I slowly get out of bed and head straight for Lily's room.

Standing in the doorway I find San sitting in the rocking chair, as I expected. Her face is almost completely apathetic. Her eyes are focused on a picture of her family, next to a picture of my own on the wall across from Lily's crib. "Santana." I'm hoping my voice will break her gaze but it doesn't.

I enter Lily's room and kneel down in front of her, trying to get her attention. "Santana, I know that you probably don't want to talk about this but I need you to talk to me, okay." I place my hand on her knee and only then does she look at me. "I need you to talk to me."

"I-I" she swallows hard. I can now see tears in her eyes. "I'll talk just don't interrupt me, please?" I can see the pleading in her eyes. "Because if you stop me I don't think I'd be able to start again."

I pull over the matching rocking stool, carefully not to wake Lily and sit in front of her. "I won't, its okay, San." I take her hands in my hoping that my reassurance is enough to help her through this."

* * *

"_Rey, you need to do this." My voice is stern as a ten year old's can be. I hated speaking like this to her. It reminded me of my abuela who was always strict with me, but right now it was necessary. "You know what's going to happen if you don't."_

"_No, Tana. I'm not having it! I don't want it!" Reyna yells back at me with enough force to make her face redden slightly. _

"_I don't want to lose you. You're my big sister. Don't do this to me, Rey. Don't do this." I begging her, my voice has changed. My stern voice is gone, replaced by concern. _

"_I'm going to die anyways, Tana. It's going to happen. Even with dialysis. It may not be tomorrow, or the next day but it'll surely come and I need you to understand that. I know you're young and you don't understand but this is my choice kiddo. I need you to understand." Her frustration with me is clear. But I wasn't about to let my big sister die due to her natural stubbornness. _

"_We're all going to die, Rey. I may be a kid but I understand that. But if you do this you'll live longer. Doesn't that matter to you? Don't you wanna see me grow up?" I need her to understand that her life isn't over yet. I may be a kid but I'm a lot smarter than I look._

"_I don't care, Tana. My life is over. I need you to face that." Tears are beginning to for in her eyes. _

"_I need you to fight, fight for me. I never asked anything of you Rey even though you're my sister. I know you're a lot older but I'm still your sister." My own eyes are now being filled with tears. _

_She turns around and begins to walk away from me. I grab her hand. "Rey. Please!" The tears are flowing down my face. And for once in this conversation I feel like a child._

_My sister turns around, but only for a moment. She gives me the saddest possible smile. Before pulling her hand out of my grasp and leaving me behind in pieces._

* * *

Santana's eyes are glassed over with tears; she is living in a memory before speaking to me again. "My parents had Reyna when they were in high school. She's eight years older than me. My sister, she's a type one diabetic. When I was eight years old she diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, they caught it at stage two. She had the signs and symptoms but she thought nothing of them. You don't know enough about Rey to know that she doesn't take care of herself the way she should, you wouldn't say it by looking at her but it's the truth." She chokes on a chuckle, shaking her head. "I always told her she needed to take better care of herself. I always tried to look after her when I went to my Abuela's even with the age difference. She has been on dialysis ever since I was ten. She refused it for a long time until I forced her into it. By the time we were sophomores it had progressed so much that she needed a transplant. She was a perfect candidate and I was more than willing to give up one of my own. But, but." Santana doesn't finish her sentence.

Her eyes that were once fixed with mine are now staring at our intertwined hands. I give her a moment, knowing all too well this was something she needed to do at her own pace. She lets out a long sigh and takes a deep breath before continuing. "But she refused. She didn't want me to give up my kidney to give to her. She didn't want surgery. She didn't want any of it." Her voice is quieter now. "My sister, my big sister was determined that she'd die rather than getting a kidney transplant and living almost her entire expected lifetime. She'd rather make me watch her die in front of my eyes than having surgery." I can see the tear flowing freely down her cheeks. She's letting everything out, letting it all go. "I told her that I wasn't about to watch her died and I begged her, I begged her to do this for me, if not for her, for me." She let go of my hands and wipes her tears out of her eyes. "I've seen her once since then, before now. She left me behind, never even showed her face at graduation."

I pull Santana into my lap. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." I whisper in her ear as I wrap my arms around her.

"That's not even the worst part, Britt. She died, she died in my arms. It was the day after her birthday six years ago. I had decided to go visit my parents and I didn't know she'd be there, I should have known. You remember that weekend don't you?" I could remember it as if it was yesterday. Santana had come home distant but was acting as if nothing had happened, putting on a smile for everyone to see. "You saw right through that mask, the mask I wore hiding everything because I lied to myself and thought that someone else was going to be able to save her even when I couldn't." She sniffles. "She died right in my arms and she still continued to act as if nothing was wrong. I found out from my parents that she had sold her apartment and decided to hitch hike around Europe, and would be arranging dialysis appointments along the way."

"Baby I'm so sorry." I say placing a kiss to her cheek.

"All those years she acted like I didn't exist because I wanted something better for her, because I wanted her to live an entire lifetime. And now here she is on our doorstep the day we move in. She didn't even come to our wedding."

"But she's here now, isn't that what matters?" I ask tentatively.

It was amazing what time could do when it was spent doing what you loved with the people you loved. Over the years Santana's fiery tempermant had cooled off incredibly. Not feeling the need to hide parts of herself and finding something she loved like her job really changed her. Her interactions with her patients would put anyone who we hadn't kept in touch with after high school in a headspin of confusion trying to figure out how 'Satan' had grown a heart where her bag of insults and glares once resided. But she still had her moments; such as earlier. I was afraid that my questions would set her off.

"No, it's not. She's missed the most important moments of my life, Britt. Now, she's back here to make me watch her die. She's going to want to meet Lily and I can't do that to her. I can't put her through that, she doesn't deserve it. She's just so damn perfect." Her voice is slightly raised now, but thankfully it's not loud enough to rouse Lily who is asleep less than six feet away.

"Shh, love. I know she missed your graduations, our wedding and the day that Lily was born but maybe she's changed." My voice is tentative again due to Santana's last reaction. "I hate to ask but why did you keep her a secret from me all these years? I would have at least tried to comfort you as best as I could."

"She's the reason I was always afraid. She's why I used my word and sometime my fist to keep everyone at arms length. I didn't want anyone to see how hard it was for me. I didn't want people to see how weak I was. She moved in at my Abuela's house when I was still a toddler because my mother refused to watch my sister die. And I couldn't bear the thought of my mother sending me away because she couldn't understand that I loved you."

"But she didn't." I hold Santana as she slowly begins to cry. "You mom loves you, and I'm sure she loves Reyna too. She was hurting, baby. I can't imagine what was going through her mind when she let your abuela raise her because I can't bring myself to. I would be terrified if that happened to Lily, I don't think I could bear to sit there and watch her die. You get that don't you?"

"H-How?" Santana tries to speak but has to take a moment to compose herself in order to be able to speak coherently. "How could she do that? How could she abandon her like that, she's her daughter?"

"Didn't you guys go to your Abuela's every Sunday for dinner and stay there for hours? Remember how I used to ask if the food would get cold because it would take you so long to eat it?" She chuckles slightly and I know I'm making some progress, even if that is all I earn. "You used to tell me that it wasn't the eating that took so long. You used to tell me that you guys used to have family time together after dinner doing various things and some how your abuela would always end up yelling at someone or something."

"B-but," She tries to cut me off but I don't allow her, cause if I don't finish this I know she won't understand without it being explained in full.

"Your mom never abandoned her, sweetie. She spent time with her every week just like you did. I think the reason why she sent Reyna to live with your abuela was because she knew it was what was best for her. She knew that your abuela is a strong woman and would be able to deal with having a sick child in her care even though she couldn't. She knew your abuela would take care of her and love her just as much as she loved your mom as a child. Just as much as your mom loves you and Reyna. Just as much as you love Lily. She did that because she loves your sister Santana, she didn't abandoned her, she gave her the best life she could given the cards she was dealt."

"She might be my sister by blood, and I'll always love her but she never was much of a sister to me. We were raised in different households, her at Abuela's and me pretty much at yours and at home. That's why I never spoke about her. It was also part of the reason why I loved helping you babysit Ash. Because I felt like I was helping you be the big sister I always wanted Reyna to be."

"I know this is going to be hard on you but you need to work it out with Reyna. I'll be there the entire time if that's what you want." I place a kiss on her forehead.

"You promise?" Her voice turns to a whisper. She looks me at me and I can see the fear in her breathtaking blue eyes.

"I promise." I reassure her before giving her a kiss on the forehead to comfort her. "We'll figure it out, I promise." Santana buries her head into crook of my neck, wrapping her arms me. I can't help but tight my hold on her. I can feel her tears beginning to wet the collar of my t-shirt. I know I can't stop the tears. I know that now all I can do is hope that when morning comes we'll know what to do next.


	11. Ten

I just wanted to say thank you for all your support. It really means a lot. Last night's episode had me a complete bundle of emotions all flying out at once between being so happy I couldn't help but grin from ear to ear and feeling like I was going to cry because I was so sad the finale is just next week and the show would never be the same. But I loved it none the less. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed that episode! Thanks again! (:

Ten. Defying Gravity  
"I'm through accepting limits 'cause someone says they're so.  
Some things I cannot change but till I try, I'll never know"  
- Defying Gravity, Wicked

I wake up to find myself in bedroom with Brittany's arms wrapped loosely around my waist. The last thing I remember from last night, well this morning, was telling Brittany about Reyna. She must have carried me back to our room after I fell asleep in her lap. It amazed me how physically fit Brittany was after giving birth to Lily; in only three months she almost completely back into her pre-baby shape. I look at the clock on my bedside table. 7:02 am. As much as I would love to stay in bed right now it was time to face the day; time to face Reyna.

I slowly try to climb out of bed but Brittany tightens her hold on me; pulling me into her so were millimeters apart, tangling our legs together. I can't help but grin a little as I feel her breath against my shoulder. "Not yet, five more minutes. Please?" Her voice is mumbled and filled with sleepiness.

"Fine, five more minutes." I roll over. Brittany's breathingly blue eyes are now focused sleepily on my face. I can see her scanning my face as I give her a genuine smile; she's investigating to see if I'm faking it. Her ability to read my emotions never ceases to amaze me. "You're cute when concentrating, you know?" I brush a stray piece of hair from Brittany's face, tucking it behind her ear.

She quickly wipes the sleepiness from her eyes before giggling to herself. "Well you're cute when you wake up in the morning. Messy hair and all." She gives me a kiss on the tip of my nose. "I love you, Santana." She gives me a smile that matches my own before burying her face into the crook of my neck, placing a quick kiss to the underside of my chin.

"I love you too, Brittany." After I speak we sit in silence, simply enjoying being in each other's presence. Before long I can hear Lily gurgling to herself through the baby monitor. "Let's go get our little monster up for breakfast shall we?" The excitement in my voice causing me to chuckle; I can't help but feel like I'm Rachel and I'm being given a Tony Award every time I think about spending to with our daughter, especially when that time is also shared with Brittany.

"That sounds like an amazing idea." Brittany lift her head up as she lets go of my waist; bringing her fingers up to slowly run down the length of my hair.

"We can talk about last night then okay?" My voice isn't as cheery as it was a moment ago but I can see in her eyes that she understands; right now that's all that I need.

* * *

"What will it be this morning Lils?" I ask, the top half of my body is practically in our fridge. "Banana puree, baby rice cereal, applesauce?"

"San, I don't think she gets what your asking. Considering all she can see is your behind, which I frankly don't mind." I can hear my wife give a throaty chuckle, clearly pleased with herself before continuing. "But I think she'd rather see her options rather than us randomly choosing for her. Don'tcha think?"

As I pull myself out of the fridge I can't help but grin from ear to ear. I look down at Lily who is sitting in Brittany lap at the breakfast nook. I can feel my heartstrings tug in my chest; seeing Brittany holding our daughter always makes me feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world. I hold out a baby sized container of applesauce and Lily begins to gurgle, a smile forms on her face. "Applesauce is it then." I turn around and begin to look for a spoon as Brittany stands up. "We only put them away yesterday and I still don't know where they are." I can't help but grumble slightly.

Brittany with Lily grabbing hold to her t-shirt neck in her little fists comes over the other side of the counter and opens a drawer filled with kitchen utensils. "Nothing to panic over, honey. I got it covered." She flashes me a thousand watt smile before handing me the baby spoon.

"Thank you." I give her a small smile as a blush creeps across my face. "Now we can have some breakfast, Lily." I make my way to sit down on a dinette chair next to Lily. As soon as I open the container of applesauce the doorbell rings.

I look over at Brittany and give her a look of fear mixed with anxiety. "I'll get it." I can hear the empathy in her voice and I know she'd give anything for this not to be happening to us right now. She puts Lily into her high chair so I can begin feeding her before she started crying because the food isn't getting into her fast enough; much like Quinn when the bacon has run out, Brittany and I learnt that the hard way. Brittany comes towards me and wraps her arm around my shoulder, giving me a kiss on cheek before leaving the kitchen. I do the only thing I can do, I begin to feed Lily her much wanted applesauce.

Before I know it my sister is standing in beside me, staring at my daughter. I can see the adoration in her eyes and a genuine smile that I haven't seen from her in years has spread across her face. "She's beautiful." Her gaze doesn't leave Lily's face as she speaks to me. She hesitantly walks closer to us.

"I'm going to say this bluntly. What are you doing here Reyna?" I never had gotten a straight answer from her yesterday and I needed to know. I needed to know so that I'd be able to figure out what to do. I feel Brittany come up behind me draping her arm across my shoulder for much needed and appreciated support.

My breath automatically hitches as my sister opens her mouth. "Can we sit down and talk?" Reyna's voice is neither smug nor apathetic; it's filled with fear and anxiety like my own. The smile on her face is gone. I can see the apprehension in her eyes.

"Promise me you'll tell me what's going on. I don't want the run around like I'm a child." I need to hear her say it. Reyna has always been the master of avoidance and deflecting.

"I promise, Tana." The sincerity in her voice is undeniable.

I look up at Brittany, I don't know if I can do this alone but her cerulean eyes gives me all the reassurance I need without her even saying a single word. "I'll finish feeding her." She simply states as she takes the applesauce and spoon from my hands.

I bend over and place a kiss on the top of Lily's head before getting out of my chair. "Okay, Reyna. Follow me." I say in the calmest voice possible knowing that it was highly likely that in only a few moments I would break into the pieces that Brittany and Lily had slowly put together piece by piece.

* * *

I slowly easy myself into my usual leather recliner chair across from Reyna. We sit for a few moments with the room filled with silence before she finally speaks. "I was wrong, Santana." My gaze that was focused on the coffee table in front of me snaps up to catch Reyna's eyes. Reyna never admitted she was wrong willingly or called me Santana, I had always been Tana to her since I was old enough to know what my name was. If I had been suprised last night, then now I'm shellshocked.

I open my mouth to speak but Reyna holds up her hand to stop me. She gives me a look that speaks a million words; the hurt in her eyes is undeniable. I don't say anything I simply watch what she is doing. She has bent over, taking off her shoes and rolling up her pants legs to reveal something I don't expect. Instead of seeing my sister's usual toned, caramel skinned legs I see a pair a prosthetics. My jaw automatically drops slightly; I try to speak but nothing comes out. This is one of the very few moments in my life I, badass Santana Lopez, have been rendered speechless.

I look into my sisters eyes to find tears forming. "I'm sorry." Her words are filled with remorse and trepidation. "I couldn't, I just couldn't." Reyna's unable to finish her sentence. She buries her face in her hands. Her body is now shaking in sobs.

Whatever disappointment and rage I once felt is now gone. Without hesitation I kneel in front of my sister and take her into my arms. Thankfully, my body allows me to form words again. "It's okay. Everything's going to be alright." My voice is barely more than a whisper. "We're going to figure everything out." Eventually I feel my sister arms wrap around me. Her arms are locked around me as tight as the gates on the Hoover Dam.

After a few minutes Reyna pulls away from me with a sniffle. "I couldn't let Mom tell you, this was something I had to tell you myself. Even if it did take me two years to do it, as pathetic as that sounds."

"You're not pathetic, Rey." I look into her tearfilled eyes to make sure she knows I'm telling her the honest truth.

She wipes away the tears in her eyes before looking back at me. "You know who hard this is for me to admit. I need your help Tana."

"I can't give you my," I begin to speak but she quickly cuts me off by putting a finger on my lips. As she pulls it away I don't begin to speak; I listen. Thankfully over the years that was one of the skills Brittany had helped me with.

"I know. I'd never ask to you to do that for me. I could never do that. And Mom told me that you and Brittany are going to have more kids. That's great by the way. That little one of yours is definitely going to be a better big sister than I ever was to you. That I'm sure off."

"Rey, stop it."

"Fine, no more round arounds. What is need is for you to admit me and put me on the UNOS list."

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really," I don't get the chance to finish my sentence; Reyna finishes it for me.

"Stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." A small smile forms on her face. "Eleanor Roosevelt." Reyna doesn't resist the urge to laugh slightly. "Just because my middle name is after her doesn't mean you need to quote her at me."

I can't help but roll my eyes at her as she crawls out of my arms to sit back on the couch. "Yes, I do. You're my big sister so I can quote Eleanor Roosevelt at you as much as I need to." I give her a smile I know she hasn't seen in what seems like forever.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice Brittany enter the doorway holding Lily in her arms, but she doesn't enter. She's looking at me searching for a sign of some sort telling her its okay to come in. I change the focus of my gaze to Britt and nod slightly; I immediately notice the concern in her eyes. She understands and slowly but surely makes her way into the living room, taking a seat on the love seat next to us.

"To answer your earlier question I'm here for numerous reasons. I'm here to apologize, because I never should have ran from you, "I should have listened to you. You were definitely the smartest kid of your age, and"

"No, I pretty sure that was Britt." I can't help but take this opportunity to make my wife laugh at my honesty.

"San." Brittany slightly scolds me.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" I give her a wink before turning my attention back to my sister. "And what?"

"And I'm so sorry I put you through all of that." She stops for a moment, clearly trying to hold back a sob. "But it was me who was dying and I felt like no matter how hard I tried I wouldn't be able to stop it. So I just wanted to live what I could." I place a hand on my sister's knee.

"No apology needed, Rey. You were scared. Fear makes do all sorts of things that are out of our character." I immediately think back to high school. It still makes my heart break when I think about how much I would push Brittany away out of fear. Thankfully I was able to get past the fear because other wise I wouldn't even want to consider where I would have been right now. I wouldn't give up my family and our life for the world.

"I wanted to meet my sister-in-law and my niece." Reyna looks over at Brittany and Lily for a moment before looking me in the eye as she begins to speak once again. "I came because I know I've made mistakes and I need my sister to tell me that everything's going to be okay. I need my Tana." Her eyes are filled with tears and they begin to roll down her face once again. I reach out and wipe them away.

"How about I make some breakfast, well Britt will," I can hear Britt's classic giggle behind me. "Then we'll go to the hospital? We can talk about this more there." I know we discussed this long enough; going over the gruelling topic for too long was bound to take even more of a toll on the both of us than it already had.

"I'd like that. I'd like to catch up with you, Tana. Secondhand stories from Mom definitely aren't enough anymore. And of course get to know you, Brittany." My sister looks at my wife again with a smile on her face but I can see the signs of internal conflict on her face.

"Is there something else, Rey?" I ask, waiting intently for her answer because I honestly don't know what more she can say that would make her conflicted like this.

"Can I, can I hold her?" Her voice is hesitant but I can feel her need to connect with my daughter. I had thought about this moment ever since the first time Brittany asked me if we could have a baby; I never thought that it would happen, no matter how much I wished I would. Yet here we are.

"Of course, you can." Brittany's voice takes me out of my thoughts. She holds Lily out to my sister who welcomes her with open arms. "She likes it when you tickle her toes but watch out she just ate so be prepared for a little spit up." Brittany leans forward taking a cloth off her shoulder and placing on my sister's.

"Thanks. She's so beautiful." Reyna beings to tickle Lily's toes who lets out a loud squeal of excitement. "Hi Lily. You're some cute aren't you? You look just like your Mami don't you?" She gives me a quick grin.

"So what are am I going to be making for breakfast?" I can't help but laugh as Brittany creates an emphasis on the word I.

Reyna's to caught up in Lily to answer her. "Banana pancakes, honey." Her head snaps up quite quickly at the mention of her favorite breakfast.

"Three plates of banana pancakes coming right up." Britt says in a cheerful tone as she heads for the kitchen leaving me alone with my sister and daughter.

"I've got to fix this, Tana. I know that there are something things in life you can't change but with this I'm done being afraid and running from it. I've got to try." The sincerity is there in the words I've been praying to hear from my sister for years. I can't help but pray that we're not too late, that we can fix this, because if we can't I know my heart will be broken into countless little pieces to meticulous and sharp for anyone, even Brittany and my daughter, to pick up and put back together.


	12. Eleven

I hope you don't mind but I've decided to switch things up for this chapter. I've written it from Reyna's point of view and I really hope you enjoy getting a look at her side of things. Once again thank you for all your support! Enjoy! (:

Eleven. Keep Holding On  
"Keep holding on, cause you know we'll make it through, make it through.  
Just stay strong, cause you know I'm here for you."  
- Keep Holding On, Glee Cast (Avril Lavigne)

I had been admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital this morning after countless tests that would drive any sane person mad; poking, prodding, the whole works. I've been sitting here in my room with only a television for company.

"Hey, stranger." A vaguely familiar voice echoes through my room. I take my eyes off the television screen to find my sister-in-law standing in the doorway, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest.

It's only now that I really take in Brittany's form for the first time. Her blonde hair was straightened to reach an inch below her shoulders, her blue eyes are breathtaking and seem to be so expressive; her features accenting her slightly freckled complexion. I only now notice how tall Brittany actually is, if Tana was standing next to her she surely would only reach to about the top of her shoulders or slightly more. My sister had found what she was looking for, even if she hadn't known it at the time; Brittany's beauty was inevitable.

"Hello? Anybody home in there?" Brittany's voice causes me to jump slightly.

"I was just admiring your hair." I spit out, to eagerly. She raises her eyebrows in disbelief; something I'd expect more from Tana. "Sorry, I was just checking you out." As soon as the words leave my mouth I realize what it must have sounded like. "No, no! I didn't mean it like that, I don't swing that way!" My hand flies up to my forehead. "I meant I was just she how well Tana had done for herself. Don't worry I don't swing that way and I would never think of doing that." I shut my eyes and prepare for anything.

"Chill, Reyna. Not a big deal, I'd do the same thing for my sister, I get it. I was coming down here to get to you know better." The tone of her voice is as if she's trying to calm me down; which was honestly exactly what I needed right now.

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God." I mumble under my breath.

"Santana was going to visit but she got paged, she said she would visit later on though. So I thought this would be an ideal time to get to know you without your sister butting in." Brittany's voice has returned to normal; but you can sense the curiosity.

"Well, take a seat. What do you want to know?" I wasn't sure what she wanted to know. She could want to know anything between what growing up without Santana being around all the time to what my favorite book was.

"Don't mind if I do." She gives me a big grin; thankfully destroying my previous fear that my sister-in-law would hate me and that she was only putting on a mask in front of Tana. "How about we make this easier and have a deal. For every question I ask you, you get to ask me one. Deal?" She gives me a smile as she sits down in the probably uncomfortable chair next to my bed.

I don't need to contemplate the deal very long to realize it's a more than fair deal and that it would break the slight tension between us. "Okay, you've got yourself a deal. Shoot."

"Let's start with an easy one. Did you go to college after high school, if you did what was your major?" I know why she asked this; a person's major said a lot about them.

"I did what Tana did. I chose to go against the grain by beating the family stigma of every on my mom's side only being able to be lawyers. I went to university at Brown and got a BA. I majored in English." I can't help but nod as I answer her question. I can tell by the look on her face she never took me as the artsy type. "I eventually went and got into the journalism program at Columbia."

"Very prestigious universities there, Reyna. I didn't peg you as the journalist type." She says confirming my assumption. "I would have said something more along the lines of business and all that jazz." I understood her; most people automatically assumed I either followed in my mother's footsteps by becoming a lawyer or possibly being a doctor like my father and Santana. They saw me as the professional type, which was something I definitely wasn't. "Then again San is the artsy type deep down. If she didn't love medicine so much then she would have tried her shot at Juillard. She would have gotten in too, there's not a doubt in my mind." A wide grin breaks across her face as she speaks about my sister. I can't help but be thankful my sister has found someone who loves her just as much as, if not more them she loves them

"Nope, I'm a hardcore arts girl, always have been. It's nice to hear that I'm not the only black sheep in the family when it comes to the arts. I'm sure she would have gotten in to Juilliard if that's what she had wanted. When that wife of yours wants something she'll work her tail off to get it. But I'm sure you know that already." I give her a smile, earning a giggle from Brittany.

"Trust me, I definitely know what you mean." She says with another giggle.

"Hmm, let me think. You said you had a sister, what was your house like growing up? At our house there were almost fights daily. If it wasn't about me being sick, it was about me wanting to go to the movies on a school night or something stupid like that which my abuela would have nothing of the sort. I'm pretty sure that's where Tana got the fighter in her from." I can't help but laugh at the memories of Tana fighting with older kids who would make fun of a young blonde girl, who I could now assume was Brittany; she'd pull their hair until they said uncle. I would see her at the playground from time to time, I would always go out of my way to see her even if she never knew or saw me.

"Oh, I know. She nearly took out our friend Puck at our wedding because he made an inappropriate comment in front of your parents." Brittany giggles. I notice now that her laugh is just how my grandmother had described it to me one day on the phone; cheerful yet subtly insecure no matter how genuine it was. "Well, my family is pretty wealthy so my sister and I were spoiled rotten. I was really close to my parents growing up, especially my dad. There's kinda a big age difference between my sister Ashley and me, I was almost twelve when she was born. San and I used to babysit her all the time. Ashley used to have the biggest crush on her. It was adorable. We still tease her about it every once in a while. Whenever Santana used to come over to help me babysit she wouldn't leave her lap. You practically had to pull her off San to get her to go to sleep. Things were kind of weird when I when I moved out of the house and went to college because she was only six. I remember how confused she was. When they brought me to the house my dad had bought near campus for me to live in with Santana and a few of our friends she had constantly asked 'B, why are you leaving me?' and it just made me so sad that I had to leave her home by herself. She used to call me 'B' because when she was smaller she couldn't manage to say Brittany." She giggles again, "She was one crazy kid but San always helped me keep her in line."

"She sounds a lot like me when I was that age." I laugh. "So what do you do for fun, you have any hobbies? I'm sure being married to my sister is no cake walk so there has to be some way you blow off steam." I ask with another chuckle, fully knowing how opinionated and stubborn my sister could be. Also I wasreally curious about what types of things she was interested in because initially Brittany didn't seem to be my sister's type.

"I'm big on video games to be honest. Sounds geeky, I know, but it's true. An ex got me into it in high school. He shall remain nameless because if Santana hears you mention him she might have an aneurysm. After we broke up, I finally pulled my head out of my own butt and become official with San. She bought me a 360 for my next birthday and it's been my vice ever since." Brittany lets out a fully pronounced laugh this time. "Major dork alert." A subtle blush creeps up on her cheeks.

I'm taken aback by Brittany confession. She hadn't seemed to be the gamer type but clearly I was wrong. "Join the club, Brittany." I laugh. "What's you're usual?" I'm glad we've been able to make a connection over something that isn't my sister, even if it's only something so mundane as video games.

A surprised smile forms on her face. "I don't play as much now but I used to play a lot of COD. I was a COD addict for about three years but I gave it up when Santana and I moved in together on our own at the beginning our second year of university. I couldn't handle the look on her face when used turn it on. A classmate of ours, Finn, joined the army. He went to Iraq almost straight out of high school. He was shipped out the May after our first year of university and came back in a box by July. It was hard on all of us, but especially hard on San. She and Finn weren't really close, considering he outed her to the whole of Ohio but he was part of the glee club and glee club was family. It really messed her up for a little while. I couldn't put her though all that pain for something stupid like a video game no matter how much it made my own stress levels go down. I changed to Resident Evil and Halo after that. I still play whenever I get the chance between taking care of my girls and work. Usually it's only an hour if I'm lucky once a week. It's nothing to compare to when I was pregnant. San practially had to drag me away from the tv. I remember some mornings when I'd wake up and still have my headset on cause I wouldn't let San take it off I because I didn't want to stop playing. I was terrible I tell you."

"I'm more of a Need for Speed or Project Gotham type of girl, but I wouldn't say no to a good game of Resident Evil." Our conversation is interrupted by a loud beeping noise coming from Brittany's cell phone.

"Sorry, Reyna, work calls. I guess my sub couldn't come in for the afternoon session. I'll visit you again later I'm sure. It was great getting to talk to you." A frown crawls across my sister-in-law's face; she's clearly disappointed in the fact to she has to leave.

"Not a problem, Brittany. It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon, my door is always open." I laugh. Even with this simple interaction with her I knew my sister had found the one for her.

* * *

Tana visited me later that day after dinner. "Hey Rey. How's your day going?" A small smile is plastered on her face.

"Not to shabby, Tana. A bit boring but your lovely wife visited me earlier which lightened the day up." The smile on Tana's face widens at the mention of Brittany; much like Brittany's did at the mention of my sister earlier.

"She said she was going to, but I wasn't sure I she had just said that because she was a little nervous." She takes a seat where her wife had sat only hours prior.

"I like her." I state simply.

"You do?" The look on her face was completely worth the awkward moments and the yelling I received when I first arrived here in New York.

"I do. I was a little bit hesitant at first because she didn't seem to be your type of girl but boy was I wrong. Even only spending the short time I did one on one with her I could tell that she was the one for you." It was true. I could see that Brittany was the competitive, humorous person that my sister always hoped for.

"Thank you, thank you." My sister hops out of the seat and pulls me into a hug.

"No thanks are need." I smile.

"I was so afraid that you wouldn't like her." She lets out a deep breath.

"No worries there Tana. I had a feeling the first time I first saw you pick up for her on that playground." I say as I brush my bang out of my eyes.

"You? How?" My sister looks me straight in the eye; her face is now full of concern.

"I used to walk by the park during the week to check up on you, you never saw me. A certain blonde always had your attention." I can't help but give her a wink. "And by hearing stories from Brittany just now and Mom over the years I could assume that she was Brittany. She never told you but after I went to Columbia, Mom let me back into her life a bit more, you were in your last half of the ninth grade at the time. She'd call me twice a week to ask how I was, to tell me stories about you and your not so little anymore blonde haired friend. I'd visit once every two months. She'd always make sure you were at Brittany's so I wouldn't run into you even though I stayed at Abuela's. She didn't want to hurt you any more than necessary. And I didn't either. That's why she knew when I needed the kidney transplant, I had gotten sick one weekend during your sophomore year and she took me to the hospital. I had known about it already but I didn't want to tell her, to put her through that. But she found out and told you. And of course I broke your heart all over again."

Taking my hand she freezes, a look of shock on her face; the intended comforting gesture makes my skin crawl. "Rey" I know exactly what she's about to say. "What, what happened?"

As Tana pulls away I put my hand in my lap; looking at my left hand it seems empty. The golden band that was once on my left hand ring finger is gone. I can feel the tears forming in my eyes. I open my mouth to speak but no words come out. I put my head in my hands; disgraced at what has happened.

"Its okay, Rey. I'm right here." My sister's arms wrap around me once again. I try to speak again but I only accomplish an undecipherable mumble. "Don't force it. I'll be right here when you're ready." Her voice is concerned but without a doubt I can sense the patience in her tone.

I pull away from her, looking straight into eyes that mirror my own. "It happened two years ago. Right after I lost my legs." The concern on her face grows as she comprehends the pain in my voice. "David, he just left. He told me he couldn't do it anymore." The tears that have been forming in my eyes now begin to roll down my face. "He said that he couldn't watch me kill myself." I sniffle slightly; my need for a tissue is becoming unavoidable. "And I, I just let him go. I couldn't tie him down because on some level I knew he was right. I knew he was right but I just couldn't admit it to myself."

"I'm so sorry, Rey. That was extremely brave and selfless to just let him go, after all you two have been through all those years." She was right. David and I had been together since our junior year in high school.

"I couldn't do it to him, Tana. I just couldn't." I wipe the tears out of my eyes.

"I know, sweetie. I know." Tana wraps her arms around me, as if she was sheltering me from a danger I didn't know existed. All I could do now was hope that whatever happened next my sister would me there for me because God knows that I need her, because I can't do this alone anymore.

* * *

I have been in the hospital almost a week and the only highlight of my days recently was when Brittany and Tana would drop by, often having Lily with them. I swear that the two of them were going to have that little monster spoiled rotten, but, thankfully, knowing Tana she was going to my sure my niece wasn't a spoiled brat.

"Hey, what's up butter cup?" I'm thrown from my current thoughts as my sister announces her presence.

"Seriously, Tana, tone it down on the perkiness would you. I'm not one of your patients." I chuckle, I know that it was mere impossible for her to tone down the perkiness at work according to Brittany; unless she was in the OR or lecturing a resident or an intern on something they did wrong. She definitely changed from the spity, sarcastic little girl I once knew.

"No, I will not tone down the perkiness, you goof." She gives me a wide smile before taking a seat on the edge of my bed. "Besides, I brought something to cheer you up, it's your favorite."

"Good, because daytime television can really bore a girl after so long." I can't help but roll my eyes. You can only watch so many episodes of those soap operas before your brain turns to mush.

Tana can't contain her laughter while she nods in agreement with me. "Okay, close your eyes and hold out your hands."

I reluctantly follow her instructions; she could treat me like such a child some times. "Is it ice cream? Because you know how much I love those Dixie cup things!" My voice has now changed to that of a five year old about to get their birthday present.

As I feel my hands become heavier I open my eyes. "Sorry, Rey. It's not ice cream. You know you can't have that stuff. So, I brought the next best thing." I can sense the sadness in her voice.

I find a small container of no sugar added strawberry frozen yogurt and surprisingly a gameboy color. "How the hell do you have one of these, Tana?" I ask trying to hide my obvious excitement. I had always been a sucker for video games since I was a teenager.

"Well, Brittany reminded me yesterday that you loved video games because she was talking about how much she likes you and that you must be bored to tears the past few days. So, I went to the pawn shop down the street and they happened to have one." The sadness is gone and pride has surfaced.

"Thanks a lot Tana." I put the belongings in my lap before pull her into a bone scrunching hug.

"You're very welcome Rey. But you're squishing me." Tana pretends to be gasping for breath before I let her go.

I look back down at the contents in my lap and I can't help but laugh. "Uhm, Tana, you didn't get me a spoon."

A small frown forms on my sister's face. "You've got to be kidding me. I'll go get you one from the cafeteria it's only down the hall." The frown is gone as she gets up of the bed. "I'll be back in a minute. These babies are faster than running." She says with a smirk pointing to her classic black and red heelies, clearly working with children had changed the Tana I once knew in more ways then one.

As soon as she leaves the room I turn on the game boy, hoping that it came with a Super Mario Bros. game, they had always been my favorite. Sure enough, it did. As the title flickered across the screen I begin to feel lightheaded and slight nauseated.

I lie back against the bed trying to regain composure but the dizziness is inevitable. Almost immediately my vision begins to blur and I feel tired. Outrageously loud beeping is coming from the monitors next to my bed. I can hear foot steps rushing into my room but I see no one; all I see now is darkness.

"Reyna! Rey!" My sister's voice enters my conscious. "Rey don't do this! Just hold on a little longer! Don't leave me!"

Those are the last words I hear before everything is simply gone.


	13. Twelve

Sorry about the cliff hanger, I couldn't help myself. This chapter is Brittany's and _Santana's _point of view. There's going to be a bit of medical jargon in this chapter most of which I highly doubt is going to be accurate because I'm not a doctor. Hope you guys continue to enjoy! So without further ado.

Twelve. It's Not Over  
"It's not over… it's never over, unless you let it take you,  
It's not over… unless you let it break you."  
- It's Not Over, Secondhand Serenade

The infamous sound of my cell phone echoes through the room. I unenthusiastically pick up my phone and read the message. B, 911 Reyna. The message startles me, immediately causing me to feel my heart's pace quicken and my hands become clammy. As I shut my phone, placing it back in my pocket I can't help but panic. This was not news you wanted to receive in front of a group of kindergarteners.

"Mrs. L? Are you okay?" I feel a small hand tug on my sleeve. I look down to find one of my favorite students, a young boy name Emilio who looked much like a male version of Santana when she was little starting up at me with his widen big brown eyes.

"Yes, Emilio but I have to go right now so I want you to be in charge while I go tell Ms. Kohl across the hallway okay?" I give him the best smile I can muster before ruffling his mop of black curls.

"Okay, Mrs. Lopez." I can't help but grin; no matter how many times I hear it, butterflies flutter in my stomach whenever I'm addressed as Mrs. Lopez. It was something I used to dream about ever since I first fell in love with Santana when I was twelve years old.

"Good boy." I say before addressing the rest of my class. "Okay everybody. Emilio is now in charge until Ms. Kohl gets here okay? I promise I will see you guys on Monday. Have an awesome weekend and be good."

I receive waves and goodbyes from my class before I hastily head out the door, dying to get to the hospital as soon as I can.

* * *

Eventually I make my way to the hospital, as soon as I get to Reyna's floor I begin to jog to her room. The sight of Santana at the end of the hall makes me run even faster. She is sat against a wall, her arms wrapped around her legs as if she's trying to shield herself from the world around her. She only looks up at me once I'm less than five feet in front of her. Her usual smile is gone; her warm chocolate brown eyes are filled with tears. She's shaking in fear; her sobs are echoing the hallway.

I lean down just enough to be able to wrap my arms around her, pulling her to her feet. She buries her head into my chest; her arms now lock tightly around my waist drawing me closer to her. We stand here for a moment with Santana's fists gripping into the back of my jacket before she pulls away slightly and she tries to speak; nothing comes out, only her sobs continue. I know that I'm nothing going to be able to find out from her. I motion to Puck who is solemnly standing inside of Reyna's empty room to come out. I need to know what's happened so I can help my wife.

As he reaches the door way I give him a look, I don't trust my voice right now; the fear has taken over. Puck opens his mouth to speak and I wrap my arms tighter around Santana, bracing for the storm. "She coded, Britt. Mike told me that her kidney function has been declining since you guys brought her in. It was too much stress on her body. They got her back but she went to v-fib, and then got her up enough to get her into surgery. She's got eternal bleeding, Britt. They're hoping that UNOS is going to be able to pull off a miracle and get her kidney ASAP." The tone of voice was a rare one for Puck. It was full of concern and you would have to be oblivious to be unable to sense the fear. I can tell that he wishes that this will give me some hope. "Do you need anything?"

I look at Santana, who has her head buried into my neck with tears streaming down her cheeks and a look of complete fear on her face. There's only one thing I know will make her feel the slightest bit better. "Can you run down to the daycare and pick up Lily for me?" He just nods his head in agreement before beginning to head down the hallway. We had an arrangement with the daycare ever since Lily's first day; there was a written agreement that Puck and Quinn we able to take Lily's from the daycare even though they were not legally related to her. "We'll be in the on call room on this floor." He throws up his hand to signal he heard me as he begins to slightly run down the hallway.

As he turns the corner I look back down at my wife. Her tears have begun to roll down her cheeks, causing mascara to leave black lines down her face. I wipe the tears away to the best of my ability before kissing her forehead.

"She's got the best, they're going to try their damn hardest to make sure she's okay." I say as I pull away, giving her the best smile I can. It's the best assurance I can give her but it doesn't stop the tears. "Let's go to the on call room." Santana removes her arms from waist as I unwrap my arms from around her body that is still shaking slightly. As we begin to walk I put my hand on the small over her back hoping that it's enough to let her know that I'm here for her and that I always will be, no matter what happens today.

* * *

A few minutes after we enter the on call room Puck shows up with Lily in hand and diaper bag thrown over his shoulder. "Are you psychic, Britt?" He asks with a serious look on his face as he hands Lily and the bag to me.

I can't help but give him a look of disbelief. Once upon a time I would have said yes for the hell of it but not now we were a long ways away from McKinley High. But where is he getting this from? "Uh, no. Why?" Why would he asking such a thing at a time like this?

"Just checking, because with the look that is on Lopez's face I thought you must have read her mind." A small smile forms on his face.

I turn my head to look at Santana. The smile I've been searching for since I found her in the hallway is fully spread across her face. Her chocolate eyes are no longer glazed over with tears; they're completely clear as if you were looking into a fountain of chocolate, much like the one I insisted we have at our wedding reception, searching for the bottom. Her gaze doesn't leave our daughter's face.

"Thanks for doing this, Puck." These are the first words that have come out of Santana's mouth.

"Not a problem, anytime. I'll keep you updated, okay? As soon as I know something I'll come back." And with another small smile he's gone.

I walk over to Santana holding Lily out to her. The admiration and love in her eyes is undeniable. I sit down next to her watching her tickle Lily's toes causing her to laugh. We sit like this for almost an hour before I decide that it was a good time for me to get her a cloth so I can wipe away the mascara trails down her face, I couldn't bring myself to leave her alone while waiting for Puck. "I'm going to get you something to wipe your pretty face clean, I'll be right back okay?" I give her a genuine smile, seeing San smile made unable to resist the urge. She nods and I give her and Lily quick kisses before I exit the on call room leaving my two favorite girls behind.

* * *

_As I hold Lily in my lap watching her play with a stuffed toy I open my cell phone. Scrolling down through my contacts I find the one I'm looking for. Pressing send my stomach does flips. After a few rings I get an answer. "Reyna's in surgery. She needs you. She's here in New York. Mount Sinai Hospital." I don't say anything more because I can't bring myself to. I can't even wait for a reply. I press the end button and throw the phone into the diaper bag. _

_I focus all my attention on Lily now trying to forget everything else going on. I turn her around so that she's facing me. Her attention continues to be fixated at the stuffed cat in her hands. "Aah. Aah. Gah." Lily's little voice rings out through the on call room as she drops the cat on the bed. She lets out a small squeal of delight as I hand it back to her. I can't help but laugh. _

"_You're so much like your Mami, making a whole lot of noise when you're frustrated. Yes, just like Mami." I take Lily up into my arms, cradling her like a newborn. Looking down at her I still can't get over how much her smile and most of her demeanour is like Brittany other than the typical Lopez outbursts at not getting what she wants._

_My thoughts are interrupted by the entrance of Brittany, followed by Puck. I look over at the clock, it seems like I had only spent fifteen minutes with Lily but it turns out Puck had brought her from the daycare almost an hour and a half ago. I scan both of their faces for some sign of what I'm about to hear. Was the news good or bad or was there any news at all?_

_I give Brittany my full attention as she takes a seat down next to me and gives me a smile as she places her hand on my knee. "Puck's got some news for us." _

_I look back at Puck who has sat down in the chair in the corner. "They were able to stop the internal bleeding and get it under control. She's still under anaesthesia but they have her on dialysis right now to remove all the toxins from her blood." Puck pauses letting me take it in. _

_That was good news but the internal bleeding was a sign that Reyna's kidneys weren't going to last much longer and that she needed a transplant as soon as possible. My head was spinning at the thought. "I'll do it." The words are out of my mouth before I can even comprehend I said anything. _

"_He wasn't finished, honey." Brittany chuckles next to me. _

"_You should be the one to tell her this." Mark gives the three of us a smile. _

"_Okay. You don't have to, San. There was a five car pile up on the freeway and the victims were brought here. One of the patients was brain dead, they were a donor." I let her finish her speech even though I know exactly what she's going to say. "Reyna, she was a match." _

_I can't contain my excitement and I squeal just as Lily did earlier. It was tragic that someone out there had to lose a loved one in order for me to keep my sister but being a doctor and having a very sick sibling had taught to accept that as one of the rules of life. The whole Lion King and the circle of life thing finally made a lot more sense than it did when I watched it with Brittany for the first time when I was six and a half._

_"Are you serious?" Brittany simple nods her head ensuring me that Puck was in fact serious. "That is super! I can't believe it!" I look down at Lily who looks extremely confused. I put her in my lap and start bouncing her up and down, making her laugh "Did you hear that baby girl? Aunt Rey's going to be okay. Yeah, Lils, she's going to be okay. She's going to be able to get to see you grow up." _

"_I'll let you three be alone." Puck says quietly before smiling as he slips out the door. I don't think I've ever seen Noah Puckerman be serious so much in such a short period of time. _

"_They're harvesting as we speak so she should be out of surgery in another four hours or so." Puck says as Brittany wraps her arm around my waist and gives me a kiss on the temple before directing her attention to our little monster. _

_"Did you have fun with Mami while I was gone? Did you?" She reaches out her hand and begins to smooth down Lily's hair as I stop bouncing her. "Of course you did. Mami's a load of fun isn't she?" She gives me a wink and laughs. _

"_Aah. Aah." Lily lets out a string of 'words'. _

"_I think she wants you to hold her." I laugh and hold our daughter out for Brittany to take, as she takes her I stand up. _

"_Where are you going?" Brittany asks, completely confused why I have stood up. _

"_Well it looks like you forgot to get me a cloth. Am I right?" I laugh as she smiles sheepishly._

"_I ran into Puck so I got distracted. Sorry." _

"_Not a big deal, honey. I'm just going to get cleaned up because I really don't want to look like this when my sister wakes up." A wide smile creeps across my face. "I'll be back before you know it." I lean down and kiss Lily and Brittany just like she had done earlier before leaving the room, anxious for my sister to come out of surgery._

* * *

Five hours later a general surgery attending had come to get Santana, Lily, and myself. The surgery had thankfully been a success though it took longer than they thought, making sure there was no more internal bleeding. We were now in Reyna's room waiting for the anaesthesia to wear off. I was sitting in the chair across from Reyna's bed feeding Lily while Santana was pacing back and forth the small space between the bed and the bathroom.

"San, would you stop pacing honey? Everything's okay. Reyna's going to be perfectly fine once she wakes up, there's nothing for you to worry about. She fought the fight and won, San." I give her a genuine smile, reassuring that her sister was going to be okay no matter how many times she paced up and down the room. "Besides I think that Lily here is about ready for a nap and you keep distracting her with your pacing. She can't keep her eyes off you." I say with a chuckle.

Half reluctantly Santana stops pacing and stays still, staring at me. "Well I know someone else who can't keep her eyes off me." She says with a laugh before she comes and takes a seat next to me. A can feel the blush creeping up across my cheeks. "I love you, you know that?" Her voice is so sincere and sweet.

"I love you too, San." I lean over and give her a kiss. Her lips on my own, even for a moment, causes the blush on my cheeks to become more prominent.

"I did something dumb, really dumb." Santana voice is now weak and nearly a whisper. "Something I shouldn't have." I can see the worry in her eyes.

I don't get to speak before we're distracted. "Tana. Tana." A raspy voice from Reyna's direction echoes the room.

Santana immediately launches herself out of her seat. "I'm here, Rey. I'm right here." She takes her sister hand as she stands by her bedside. I can see the relief flooding her face, springing tears in her eyes. I can't help but smile at her. God, she's beautiful, she's perfect.

"What, what happened?" As I stand up and walk over next to Santana I notice the confusion in Reyna's tone.

"You're going to be okay, Rey. You got a transplant." The joy is clear in her voice. "You got your second chance."

A look of shock followed is by a smile that forms on Reyna's face. "Are you serious? Don't go pulling my leg, Tana."

"Of course, I'm serious. It's awesome isn't it?" Her classic laugh echoes through out the room. "How do you feel though, Rey?"

A state of calmness is shown on her face. "Great, considering I won't have to be having needles driven into me numerous times a week." A surprising laugh leaves Reyna's lips.

"Well you got remember to take care of yourself now, Rey. It's not eating whatever I want whenever I want anymore." Santana's seriousness is undeniable. I can tell just by the look on her face how much she wants to stress this to her sister.

"Don't worry, Tana. I plan on taking care of myself this time around. I'm going to make sure that I get to see this little monster make something of herself." Reyna smiles widely as she motions to Lily who is staring down at her from my arms.

I lean over and hand Lily over to Reyna. "I think she's really going to like that." I say with a laugh. Lily lets out a small squeal of excitement as Reyna places her in her lap.

Out of the corner of my eye I notice someone standing outside the room, staring in from across the hall. The gaze from his bottle green eyes is focused on my sister-in-law. He runs his hand through his medium length black hair as if he was trying to concentrate.

I look at Santana to see if she knows this man. Before I even receive recognition from her the man walks in to the room catching Reyna's attention. A look of complete disbelief and shock comes across her face. "David?"


	14. Thirteen

Thirteen. Look After You  
"Oh, oh, oh, be my baby.  
I'll look after you"  
- Look After You, The Fray

"Hey, Rey" David's voice is slightly hesitant but I can see the hope in his eyes. It is that hope that makes me sure that he's as in love with my sister right now in this very moment as he was the first time Reyna brought him to abuela's for Sunday dinner to meet our family when I was eight years old.

I look back down at my sister. The shock in seeing David standing in her doorway is clear on her face. She looks up at me, her eyes are asking me what the hell David is doing here and how did he know where she was. It is clear to me now that she wasn't prepared for a moment like this in the slightest. She quickly averts her eyes towards him. "David. W-What are you doing here?"

I take this as a sign that it would a great time for us to leave. I look at Brittany standing next to me looking just as shocked as me sister, I just nod at her because I can tell she's wondering if she should take Lily from Reyna now. Brittany reaches her arms out and she quickly complies passing her our daughter. I place my hand on the small of Brittany's back and carefully guide her out of the room. Thankfully, I remember to shut the door behind me because almost instantly their voices are raised.

As we reach the nurse's station she gives me a look. "Was that the dumb thing you did?" She tilts her head to the side in typical Brittany fashion.

"Yes, that was the dumb thing I did." I hang my head and scratch my forehead. I'm praying that I didn't make a mistake; my head's telling me I did a something stupid and that was none of my business but my heart, my heart is telling me that I did thing for my sister.

"I have two questions for you." I nod in agreement before she continues. "One, who is David, and two what did you do exactly?"

I can't help but sigh before I look her in the eye. I can see the confusion in her eyes but I can tell she just wants to understand why this is making me so nervous. She's not disappointed or angry with me. She just wants everything to be okay, not for me but for my sister as well. "David is my sister's husband. He left her a couple years. He told her almost the same thing I did." I look down at my feet as tears are beginning to form in my eyes. I can't help but imagine what my sister went through in those months. I can't even bear to think about what my life or what would be left of my life would be like if Brittany had left me. All I know is that the pain would be unbearable.

I feel Britt's hand on my arm. I look up from my feet and find my wife's gaze. Her eyes are giving me reassurance. The love in her eyes in undeniable and I can tell it always will be. I can tell by the look in her eyes that she'd never leave me, and that she wants me to know that.

"He told her he couldn't watch her kill herself anymore. And he left her. They haven't spoke until now." She continues to give me a look of encouragement as I answer her questions. "And to answer what I did, I called him. I know how much my sister loves him and how much David loves her. I couldn't let something like my sister's illness get in the way of that. She needs him."

"In that case, what you did definitely was not dumb. Come here." Her she removes her hand from my arm to wrap her arm around my waist pulling me closer. I can see Lily smile as Brittany gives me a kiss on the forehead. As she pulls away slightly she continues to speak. "That was incredibly awesome of you to do that for your sister." I can't help but laugh; it never ceases to amuse me how parts of her vocabulary haven't changed since we were kids.

I know she's right though. I followed my heart and did the right thing. It was going to be worth the countless minutes that Reyna was going to lecturing me on that telling David wasn't something that was my call, that is was hers. I knew that after all that she was going to be thankful. I knew this because that's just who my sister was.

"Here I am being all serious and you're laughing at me." Her tone is serious yet her infamous grin spreads across her face, giving her away.

I can't resist the temptation to smile. Her grin always has a way of cheering me up, even when I think I'm at the highest level of perkiness that is humanly possible for me or when I'm down in the dumps feeling like I've been ran over by a garbage truck. "I love you." Those three words simply escape my mouth. They are the only words I know right now that will make her understand how much I am grateful for her presence every single day, for making me feel better when I'm nervous about the pettiest things, for loving me no mater what I do.

"I love you too, Santana, no matter what happens." She strategically takes this moment to place a short yet passionate kiss on my lips.

Lily lets out a cry grabbing my attention. "Of course, I love you too monster. Mami loves you so much." I say kissing the tip of her nose. Out of the corner of my eye I can see the grin on Britt's face continue to grow. "Yes, I do. How about we go get you some food, while we wait for Aunt Rey to stop yelling at Uncle David, huh? Sound like a good plan, Lilypad?"

Brittany rolls her eyes. She acts if my talking to Lily like she could completely understand me was crazy, but I know underneath her sighs and eye rolls she thinks it's cute. That tends to happen when you learn to look past her facial expressions and take note of her eyes; they say more than her words or her actions ever could.

"Lilypad?" She chuckles, "Since when is that our daughter's name?"

"Since I thought of that nickname in the shower this morning before work. But let's go. I swear the two have you have made me go soft." She shakes her head at my statement. "So much for bad-ass cheerleader chick, all I am is a whipped wife and a babysitter for my daughter." By my tone she can tell I'm kidding but nevertheless she pokes me in the ribs playfully.

"Hey that's my wife you're talking about there, woman. Don't make me haul out the playground fighter in me." She gives her a wink, fully knowing she could never do such thing.

"I take it back, loving wife and devoted mother is way better being the lonely, bad-ass cheerleader chick ever was. I don't need to get my assed kicked by my wife to realize that."

She takes my hand in her own squeezing slightly, as if she was assuring me that she meant every word she said. I didn't need her assurance, she showed me everyday just by standing by my side, being the girl I fell in love with.

* * *

We had been sitting in the cafeteria for about a half an hour feeding Lily her lunch of her new favorite food, rice, once she had one bite it was like we couldn't get to her fast enough, before I can see David by the coffee cart. I notice he's browsing the crowd searching for someone, and that someone is me. Once he catches my eye he gives me a small smile.

I had always liked David. He had been good for my sister, even since the beginning. Reyna had been known for her writing talent but David helped her realize that she was more than just a great writer, that she was also a great person; something that I had always tried to tell her yet always seemed to fail at in between trying to get her to take care of herself physically.

My thoughts are interrupted when I notice that David is now only a few feet in front of me. I open my mouth to speak but he still manages to get in the first word. "She wanted me to find you. She wants to talk to you." I can sense the slight sadness in his words because he knows exactly what is going to happen as soon as I walk into her room. He knows that she's going to be typical Reyna and freak out at me. But I can also sense the hope; the hope that tells me that I was right all along.

"Thanks, David. I'll be up in a minute." I give him a small smile, knowing that that's what he needs to see from me right now.

I give Brittany a quick kiss on the cheek and wave goodbye to Lily before I stand up to leave the cafeteria but I'm stopped almost instantaneously by David. Just as I pass him I hear his voice call out to me. "Santana." I turn around to find a small smile on his face. "Thank you."

"No thanks are need." I give him another smile, one that is more genuine this time. "Just keep making my big sister happy." And with those words I'm gone.

I arrive at the entrance to Reyna's room less than two minutes later. I can't help but stop and look at her before I enter her room. There's a smile spread across her face as she gazes out the window, taking in the skyline of a rare sunny days for this time of year. This was the Reyna that I knew, the Reyna who saw the beauty in everything; the rain or the sunshine.

As I make my presence known the smile slips away, even though I know it's all an act. It's classic Reyna to act this way. "So how did things go with David?" I ask as I take a seat on the terribly uncomfortable plastic chair by her bed.

She doesn't answer my question; instead she simply asks one of her own. "What possessed you to think that you had the right to call him, Santana?" I can't help but slightly wince mentally at the use of my whole name from her.

"I called him because I thought that it was the right thing to do. I did it because he still loves you, Rey. He may have left but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. Just like how I still loved you even though you left me behind and chose not to have treatment at the beginning." I make my sincerity clear in my voice. After speaking with my mother after Reyna's admission I had learned she was given an ultimatum; treatment and getting to live at home or leaving us to live at abuela's.

Rey's eyes soften slightly but I still see the hesitation. "David likely showed up here in New York out of guilt, Tana. Just because he came doesn't mean he still loves me." Her feat of him leaving without her is undeniably present in her voice.

"David came back, Rey. Doesn't that mean anything to you?" I need her to understand that both she and David had their reasons for acting the way they did, that they both made mistakes.

"No, it doesn't." A frown uncontrollably forms on my face at my sister's words. "It doesn't mean anything because as soon as I'm out of this hospital David's just going to go back to Oregon and I'll end up staying with Mom and Dad. So, no, Tana, it doesn't mean anything to me."

"Is that what you really think?" I don't even get a chance to respond to my sister's answer due to David entering the room, continuing to speak as he does. "Your sister's right. I came because I love you, not because of guilt or anything else. And I'm not going anywhere." As he reaches Reyna's side he gently cups her face in his hand.

The disappointment fades from my sister's face. I can see love and admiration in the purest form in my sister's eyes. Her love for David is inevitable. "David." Her tone is filled with concern and curiosity.

"Don't David me, Rey. I'm going to look after you so that we can have the family that we've always wanted with the house on the lake and everything from our wildest dreams. I'm going to look after you even when we're old, wrinkly, and gray, even when you need to yell at me because I refuse to turn up my hearing aid." David chuckles and I can't help but look away from the two of them, I feel like I'm intruding.

I slowly edge myself out of the chair and begin take my leave. Before I'm even in the doorway Reyna stops me. "Tana." I hesitantly turn on my heels to face my sister. "Thank you." A broad smile is on her face, one that I haven't seen in years; a smile that tells me that my sister is completely happy.

"You're welcome, Rey." I flash her a quick grin and turn on my heels again, leaving my sister behind in the hands of my brother-in-law knowing that I don't need to worry about her anymore. Reyna's gotten everything she's always needed; someone to look after her no matter how much of a fight she puts up.

"Are you sure she's ready? It hasn't even been two weeks." I ask for probably the tenth time. By the look on the attending face I can tell her patience with me is almost entirely lost.

"Yes, Dr. Lopez. I am a hundred percent sure that she is ready. Do you think I'd discharge her if she wasn't? Do you think I'm an incompetent med student or intern, or something?" Her eyebrows are raised as she begins to stare me down.

Blush creeps across my cheeks. "No, I don't. Sorry." I mumble.

Brittany's infamous giggle echoes the room. I can't help but give my wife a glare from across the room where she was holding Lily who appeared to be off in her own little world.

"Come off it, Tana. Like the doctor said, she wouldn't discharge me if I wasn't ready." Reyna rolls her eyes at me.

I look to David now for some sympathy, "She's right you know." I raise my hand and he flinches as if I was about to hit him, but I resist my childish reflexes and don't follow through with the action.

"You're lucky my daughter is in the room and that you're going to be the one to look after my sister, mister. Or you'd be having a meeting with the playground Santana persona." I can't help but laugh at the look of utter terror on his face.

"Okay, kiddo. It's time to calm down now." I instantly smile at the feeling of Brittany's arm around my waist as she talks into my ear.

"I'm not a kid. In fact I'm older than you."

"Well, for one you're extremely perky and for two you're a pediatric surgeon who plays hide and seeks with her patients. Those two things take of a few months to a year off your age, therefore making you younger than me." She replies in a fake smart-alecky tone sticking out her tongue like a five year old.

"I've had enough of this. You people are foolish. Reyna, when you're ready there's a few papers you need to sign then you're free to go." The nods as she addresses my sister.

"Thanks, Dr. Griffin. It was very nice to meet you. Let's just hope the time we see each other I'm not going to be lying on an operating table or in a hospital bed." Ellie gives the doctor a smile as she exits the room.

Reyna slowly gets up out of the bed. "So I guess this is goodbye for now then?" She says with a weak laugh. I can tell that she's going to miss seeing Lily, Brittany, and I but she's excited to get back to building her life with David.

"I guess it is then. Come over here, squirt." I say; I had recently realized she was shorter than I was so I started the habit of making height jokes with her. Feeling the tears beginning to prick in my eyes, I pull my sister into a tight hug, but not tight enough to cause her any pain. "Promise me you two will visit again. The three of us are all going to miss having you both around." I try to keep myself from crying by thinking of Reyna and David visiting us so that they would get a chance to see Lily grow up.

"I promise. I'll make sure to haul David's ass up here as much as possible." Reyna lets out a true laugh this time, ensuring me that she'll be just fine without me.

I look over at David and open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off. "Don't worry, I'll look after her." They are the only words I need to hear. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders. My sister is healthy and happy with her husband. My wife and daughter are both safe. Everything is as it should be, everything has been looked after and I don't need to have a worry in the world.


	15. Fourteen

This chapter is written from both Santana's and _Brittany's _point of view.

Fourteen. Tattoo  
"You're on my heart just like a tattoo.  
Just like a tattoo, I'll always have you."  
- Tattoo, Jordin Sparks

It had been a month since Reyna had left New York to return to Oregon with David. Everything has been great; I can't believe the near perfection of the past month. The scene in front of me is a wonderful example of what life's been like.

Lily's beginning to crawl around our living room floor trying to catch Brittany who's holding her favorite toy out in front of her. The smile on Britt's face is enough to make my heart melt but add Lily's sweet giggle echoing through the room and I feel as if I've died and gone to heaven.

This rapture is interrupted by the sound of the door bell ringing throughout the house. Brittany stops for a moment and looks at me, causing Lily to catch up to her. "It's bound to be Quinn and Rachel, do you want to get her ready Britt while I let them in?" I ask, already full knowing the answer to my question. I receive a quick nod before she lifts Lily into her arms. She places a kiss on my nose before I exit the room to answer the door.

Moments later I was in the kitchen chatting with the two lovebirds waiting for Britt to bring Lily out. Today was mine and Brittany's eight year wedding anniversary and a marker of us being together officially for thirteen years in total; it amazed me how fast the years seemed to go since leaving McKinley. The pair had volunteered to take Lily for the night so we could have some time to ourselves. I love my daughter but between taking care of her and work I haven't had even half as much time as I'd like to spend with Brittany.

"You've certainly done well for yourself, San." Quinn chuckles as she takes the bottle of beer I hand her, only after she reassures me that Rachel is doing the driving and this one will be her only one for the night.

I try to hide the blush that is beginning to creep across my face but it's unavoidable. "Thanks Quinn. You certainly have too, after you smartened yourself up a bit and got your head out of your ass." I say with a smirk.

Quinn nearly chokes on his beer before giving me a glare. "There was no need for you to be so blunt, Lopez."

"Yes there was. Besides agreeing to be Lily's godmother gave me the right to be as blunt with you as I please." I can't help but chuckle. The look on Rachel's face right now was worth it, she completely agrees with me but she's trying to hide it. "Right, Berry?"

"Right." She gives up on trying stifling her laughter and begins to laugh along with me.

"You're lucky she's got me whipped or otherwise you and Britt would be stuck home on your anniversary taking care of Lily because of that comment." Quinn gives me a look of disapproval as she wraps her arm around Rachel's shoulder.

Brittany takes this moment as her cue to enter the room holding Lily in her car seat in one hand and her diaper bag in the other. "This should be everything you need. Thank you so much for doing this." She gives Rachel a wide smile, knowing that it was because of her not necessarily Quinn that this evening was happening.

"Not a problem, Brittany. It's our pleasure. I'm welcome to have the opportunity to continue to share my Broadway collection with your future star." A grinning Rachel replies while swiftly nudging Quinn in the ribs to remove the unimpressed look from her face.

"Hey! What was that for?" Quinn's voice is now raised causing Lily to begin to get fussy.

"Nice job, Quinn." Rachel rolls her eyes before taking the car seat from Britt. "Hey Lily, whatcha doin'? That was just Aunt Quinn being a loud and mean old woman." She laughs as Lily begins to gurgle. "You think so too, huh? Let's get out to the car and get you out of here before she becomes too rambunctious." Rachel begins to tickle Lily's toes as Brittany hands Quinn the diaper bag. "I hope you two have a good evening." She says with a sincere smile before disappearing into the front porch.

"Call Puckrman the next time you want to get some, Satan. I've had Rachel on my back about the whole kids thing for a month the last time we babysat." Quinn says before quickly exiting the room. How that girl was my best friend besides for Brittany I'll never know.

* * *

_The restaurant Santana had chosen for us to go to of course had been our favorite pizza place. Ever since our first 'grown up' college date where she took me to the 'best' restaurant in New York. She's never taken me any place fancy because it wasn't her style, it wasn't our style. Breadstix was as fancy as we got. Even though we had been raised in families that would be considered affluent so fancy dinners weren't out of the ordinary, we preferred to be able to just relax and have a nice slice of pizza or Chinese take out. _

"_So you know how people say I'm observant right?" I ask, getting a small nod from Santana in reply. Santana had been quite busy studying for her boards that were going to place next week, thankfully they were here in New York this year, and working long hours trying to preform as many surgeries as possible to be prepared. She was lucky enough to be accepted straight into a cardio-thoracic surgery residency so she would only have to do her pediatrics fellowship to be a completely certified pediatric cardio-thoracic surgeon. She was lucky enough that the head of cardio and pediatrics got along extremely well so she had an extreme amount of experience in the pediatrics department which led to an offer for a pediatrics fellowship at Mount Sinai. I was so thankful that she was able to stay there because she loved it so much there and we wouldn't have to move to another city. So to make that long story short, I hadn't really had the time to mention Santana's father's tattoo, or anything else for that matter before now. If it didn't involve Lily or helping her study we didn't talk about it. "They must be wrong because I only noticed that your dad, Mr. Traditional Doctor Man, has a tattoo when they visited to last month to see your sister off." _

_The glowing smile that was on my wife's face fades slowly as she takes as sip of her soda. Her reaction leaves me slightly confused until she begins to speak. "Yeah, he usually hates tattoos but he thought that he had a valid reason to get one."_

_I now realize what she means by this, her uncle's death. It's a taboo topic yet it seems to come up ever since Reyna's presence in our lives. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." I notice her hand is lying on the table next to her glass and take the opportunity to wrap my hand around hers, squeezing ever so gently assuring her._

"_No, it's okay. My uncle Ramon was a great man and he didn't deserve to die, but he did. I think that's the reason why my parents accepted our relationship so easily and why my abuela was so upset at first. Thank God she came around. They didn't want what happened to him to happen to me. I wish he had gotten the chance for someone to make him as happy as you made me. He deserved for someone to make him happy I wish he had known that there was a perfect man out there for him even if he didn't know him yet."_

_"I know baby, he was such a nice man." I squeeze her hand once again._

_"People tend to bring it up when they see it for the first time because they don't understand what it means and always ask. " She looks me in the eye; I can see the remorse and pain in her eyes and all I want right now is to take it all away. "You don't know what it means do you?" Her question pulls at my heart strings as I see tears beginning to form in her eyes._

_I simply shake my head, not trusting my words. _

"_It's Spanish, of course. Cada gallo canta en su muladar. It means each rooster sings on its dung-heap." This answer only causes more curiosity to arise in me. "It sounds silly I know. But what it really means is that a person is never more truly themselves than when they are surrounded by family and close friends." Santana lets out a small laugh. "That was something that happened a lot with my uncle. When we were out in public my uncle would always be so quiet and reserved but when he would come over to our house or go to my grandparents house he'd be so full of life, always laughing. That's why we were all so shocked when he took his own life. So my father decided that he would have it tattoo on his arm in honour of his brother, to celebrate his life." _

_The tears that were forming in her eyes are now slowly rolling down her cheeks. "Santana." I let go of her hand and begin to wipe the tears off face. _

_She brushes me off slightly, clearly she hasn't finished what she wanted to say. "Remember whenever my parent's would be gone and he would watch me? He always would let you sleepover and let us do whatever we wanted. I'll never forget the time he let us eat so much ice cream that one time and we would out you were lactose intolerant?"_

_"Oh I remember alright. I remember I so much gas that it was coming out both ends for hours. You wouldn't let me forget for like two months? Every time our parents would offer us ice cream you'd laugh your head off and I'd blush like a nun who heard a dirty joke."_

_"Britt!" Santana playfully slaps my arm as the tears continues down her face._

_"Not appropriate?"_

_"Definitely not. But I appreciate your attempt to make me feel better."_

_"It's okay. Tonight we're going to forget the rest of the world. Tonight's we're going to focus on us." I say yet there is still one thing burned into the back of my mind. _

"_Us, I like the sound of that." San chuckles with a small sniffle. A smile spreads across her face._

"_See that's what I'm talking about. I don't want to see anything but a smile on your face tonight. Well that favorite smile of mine and pizza sauce." I chuckle. _

_A look of shock is on Santana's face. "I never get pizza on my face." Her voice is slightly defensive but I can see the playfulness in her eyes now. _

"_Oh yes you do." I wipe a small amount of pizza sauce near the corner of her mouth. I hold up my finger for her to see. "See?" _

_Her cheeks become rosy with blush. "Okay, maybe I do." She averts her eyes in embarrassment. _

"_I love you." I say before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek hoping that this is atmosphere will continue for the rest of the evening._

* * *

As I take of my scrub top to replace it with my regular street clothes I feel Brittany's hand on my arm. "What did you do to your shoulder?" She asks as she notices the bandage on my upper back, I've been hiding it from her for three days; ever since the day after our anniversary.

"I thought we were meeting in the lobby. You're lucky security likes me and knows who you are 'cause if someone else caught you in here you'd be thrown out on your pretty little ass." I chuckle at her, hoping to throw her out off her current curious state of mind.

Brittany begins to pull off the bandage but I turn around to look her in the eye before she gets a chance to. She gives me a look of concern that has an underlying layer of hurt and confusion. "San, what happened?"

I give her a quick smile before placing an affectionate kiss on her forehead. "Nothing happened." I was hoping was I would be able to wait until after it had healed completely to show her.

"Santana, you're scaring me." As I pull away the small smile that was there for a moment disappears. I look into her eyes and I can see how much this is killing her.

I can't help but smile at her. "Well I was going to wait until it healed to show you, but considering you and your sneakiness got the best of me I'll let you see it now." I turn around so that she'll get a clear view. "Go on, you can take it off. But make sure you can stick it back on so that I don't have to replace it before we go home." I chuckle at the confused look on Brittany's face I see in the mirror on my locker door. She's so adorable when she's bewildered.

She hesitantly begins to pull down the top of the gauze, as it drops so does her jaw. The shock she's feeling is undeniable, it's written ever so clearly across her face. "You didn't?"

"I did." I give her a hundred watt smile as her eyes meet mine in the mirror. "I couldn't resist, not after you mentioning my dad's."

The bandage she removed reveals a tattoo I had gotten three days ago while Brittany was at work. The phase 'El amor todo lo puede' is written in script with the numbers '05.25.1994' and '10.27.2024' written beneath it.

The shocked look on Brittany's face fades and is replaced with a wide smile. I can see her eyes take in the details of the piece of art on my skin. "What does it mean? You know I can't read a thing in Spanish no matter how fluent I can speak it." I sense the curiosity in her voice.

"It's not that difficult, B." I give her a smirk as she gives me a slight glare.

"Just because I can speak it doesn't mean I know everything, Santana." She rolls her eyes and laughs.

"Love will find a way." I can't help but give her a smile as my eyes meet hers in the mirror. "I thought this would be a way to always have you and Lily with me. Even when I'm in the OR at three o'clock in the morning because I got paged and all really want is to be home in bed with you listening to Lily gurgling through the baby monitor." I suddenly feel a flush of heat on my face, signalling I'm blush furiously. " I'm crazy aren't I?" I shake my head in embarrassment.

Brittany's smile widens as turns me around so she can look me straight in the eyes. "You're not crazy, you're you." She wraps her arms around my waist pulling me closer. "And I love you and your super sweet ideas from that brain of yours." She places a kiss on my temple. "That's why our daughter's so smart, she got your brains." She says with a small, saccharine laugh.

I give her a grin as begins to let me go so I can continue changing. As I turn around Brittany carefully places the bandage over the tattoo. "Well the idea wasn't completely my own. When you mentioned what my dad did when my uncle passed away I thought that it was such a great idea. So I thought this would be a great way to celebrate how you two changed me and show you how much you mean to me." I say; feeling blush creeping up over my features.

After I throw on my shirt I notice that Brittany hasn't taken her eyes off me. I give her a look as if to ask her why she was staring. "You never cease to amaze me, you know that?" She takes my hand in hers. "You didn't need to do that to show me how much we mean to you, you show me, and you show Lily everyday just by being there for us. We're always with you, in here." She takes our hands and places them over my heart.

"I love you and your cheesiness." I laugh before placing a soft kiss on Britt's lips. I can feel my heart begin to beat faster in my chest and a blush creep up slowly on my cheeks. It has always been this way, ever since the best night I can remember; that auspicious night in the bathroom at Puck's 15th birthday party. I remember how my heart was in awe at how this beautiful, vibrant blonde could make me feel. How the simple touch of her lips against my own made me realize what love could be like, what it should be like.

As I pull away from her Brittany's smile quickly turns into a slight frown. "It wasn't cheesy."

"Yes, it was." I chuckle, brushing a stray piece of hair away from her face.

"Fine," she pouts. "I admit it was quite cheesy."

"You're cheesy and I love it." It was true, I love everything about her. And I plan to spend everyday of the rest of my life telling her.


	16. Fifteen

Fifteen. Comatose  
"Comatose, I'll never wake up without an overdose of you.  
I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe unless I feel you next to me."  
- Comatose, Skillet

The sound of my phone vibrating wakes me from my state of deep sleep. I half-heartedly roll over and reach out for the phone that is on the on call room floor. I open it to find a text from Brittany. If there was one thing that could wake me it was Brittany. It had always been that way, ever since our first sleep over at the tender age of six where I could remember her laughing so much she almost peed the bed; I always have had the gift of making the one and only Brittany S. Lopez laughing until she cried, or peed depending on the situation.

I can't help but smile to myself as I think back to Brittany's birthday a few years back. I remember I had fallen asleep on the couch after a disastrous surprise birthday party I had planned for her went down the drain. Her parents had shown up and surprised her just as she was about to leave work and taken her out for shopping and dinner. Brittany had no idea I was at home with all of our friends waiting for her, eventually I had sent everyone home after I received a text from her saying she was out with her parents and that she'd see me when I got home from work. She had no idea that I had taken the day off to get the entire thing ready for her. I had tried so had to wait up for her but I drifted off to sleep out of exhaustion a couple hours after everyone left. Even though I had made a huge fool of myself by her coming home to find me drooling all over the present I had bought for her which happened to be in my arms when I feel asleep. But Brittany, the most loving, compassionate person on the planet told me she loved me no matter what. I have never been able to sleep through being awoken by her ever since.

"Waiting in the cafeteria (: I know you're not surgery. I have your favorite =D" I read Britt's text and chuckle. It was typical of us to text each other when we were both at work and neither of us were busy, typically when we were on lunch or the kids she taught had recess but I left the emoticons to Brittany. It came in handy having a wife who was a teacher, weekends and summer was my favorite time of year. I got her all to myself outside of sharing her with Lily of course, which I did not mind in the slightest.

"Will be down before you know it." I type and press send. As restless and sick as I feel right now I'm not about to let it keep me from my wife, who apparently has my favorite. I can't help but laugh as I run my fingers through my hair before getting up out of the bed and heading straight for the cafeteria.

I catch sight of Britt's blonde hair as I enter the cafeteria. She's sitting next to the glass wall of the hospital alone at a table with one empty chair. One I assume is for me. She's staring out the window at the scene of a typical New York winter's day. The snow is coming down out of the heavens yet there is still a magical feel to it. Magical, my wife has rubbed off on me way more that I thought she had. It was a good thing that both she and my patients loved when I talked like that. And I would have to admit it after all of those years of being the fiesty, sarcastic pain in the ass of a person that I was I don't mind it either.

I chuckle at the thought as I take my seat across from her. She turns her head and looks at me, giving me a smile, showing off her slight dimples that make me turn to goo. "I brought you your favorite." She holds out a box of Smarties and places them in front of me. "Smarties for my smartie." She giggles before leaning forward to press a kiss on the bridge of my nose.

I give her the best smile I can muster right now. "Thank you, Britt-Britt." I rarely called her this anymore but this but it always seemed to bring a smile to her face when I did.

I can tell by the look on her face right know she knows that I'm starting to feel sick again. "You're very welcome, San. You're not feeling any better now are you?" She asks takings one of my hands in her own, absentmindedly beginning to play with my fingers.

It had been her idea for me to go take a nap between surgeries while she was in at work. I had started feeling like I was sick a couple of days after our anniversary. It had started with the usual symptoms of the flu; the aches and pains, the fatigue, the works. I wasn't the type to get sick but when I did it was like I was a cast member from Dawn of the Dead; my body turned into a zombie like state that somehow allowed me to do work but as soon as I would get home I'd turn into a mess of snot and drool.

"I wish I could say I was but I'm not." I receive a look of empathy from my wife. "But seeing you definitely brightened my day. I missed you last night. I missed my sweet lady cuddles." I had been paged in for an emergency surgery on one of my long-time patients in the wee hours of the morning.

"I know, honey. But we can have cuddles when you get home and I'll make your favorite for dessert. Duty calls though sometimes, right? The surgery went excellent though if I remember what you told me this morning. It was a routine procedure even if it was an emergency one."

I love how she can practically relay our entire conversations hours after they occurred. It was something I noticed when were thirteen and I was arguing with my mother because she was mad at me and of course Brittany being Brittany was able to tell me exactly what it was I had done because I had in fact told her the day before. Thank goodness for Brittany because otherwise I would have been grounded a lot more as a teenager. "I know, I get it. I'm just hoping that I can get better soon so that I don't have to bother you with my need for tissues in the middle of the night. Because someone refuses so let me have my own box."

She gives me a playful glare before replying. "Well if a certain someone didn't use five tissues just to wipe her nose like a four year old then I'd let her have her own box. I'm not about to let the environment suffer because of their childishness." Brittany sticks out her tongue just like the four year old she's describing which causes me to laugh.

Her face automatically lights up as I begin to laugh. Love is written completely across her face. The love that I always wanted, what I always needed. I can't help but laugh again thinking of what Quinn had said a few days ago. I definitely had done more than well for myself.

I tuck the stray hair that is blocking part of Brittany's face behind her ear so that I can see it all; every little freckle, every laugh line, every scar from the chicken pox she had when we were in the fifth grade. "I love you."

"I love you too, San." If it's possible the smile on her face grows even wider. "Now, you eat your Smarties and relax. I need you to get better because I don't think I'll be able handle seeing you sick for much longer. I hate seeing you miserable." I can understand exactly how she's feeling; I hated to see her or Lily sick.

"Sounds like a plan." I give her a quick smile before my pager interrupts us. I reluctantly look down at my pager to find a 911 page from Quinn. "Duty calls, but I will save these for later." I say motioning to the box of candy in front of me. "I'll miss you." I lean in and give Brittany a quick kiss on the forehead as she gives me hand a slight squeeze before letting go.

She gives me a sad smile as I get up to leave. Only three more hours until I can go home; I cannot wait.

* * *

"Britt." My voice is quiet but I can hear it echoing through out our bedroom. I look over at the clock. It is 2:02 in the morning.

My wife slowly, but surely, rolls over to face me. Her eyelids flutter open to reveal her breathtaking blue eyes that are now full of concern. "Santana, are you okay?" She pulls herself up into a sitting position and turns on the lamp on the bedside table.

"Britt, I don't feel good." I groan as my body begins to shiver uncontrollably. "Britt, I'm so cold. Warm me up." I try to cuddle into her side but she carefully pushes me away.

The concern on her face grows as she takes in my state. She lays a hand on my forehead. Her hand feels as if it's on fire. "San, you're burning up." She notices that my breaths are quickening and her eyes widen. "Santana, roll over." She slowly begins to roll me over.

I raise my eyebrow but reluctantly follow her instructions. I feel a shot of pain up my back. "B, what's happening?" I feel Brittany's hand slip underneath my shirt. "This is not the time for this."

"That's not what I'm doing, sweetie. I need to see your back." The concern in her voice is beginning to scare me. I can hear her breath hitch.

"B?" She considers my question rhetorical because she doesn't answer me. "B, I need you to tell me what is wrong." I may be a doctor but using my own medical knowledge on myself is something I never do. Administering myself cold and flu medication is as far as I go.

"I may not be a doctor but we need to get to the hospital. Right now." She throws back the bed sheets and jumps out of the bed. This isn't Brittany. This is dream, it has to be.

* * *

_This cannot be happening. I cannot be on the way to the ER with my wife after dropping Lily of with Rachel and Quinn. This is killing me._

"_Brittany, I need you to tell me what's wrong with me." I haven't been able tell her what's wrong with her, it would admitting that there is something wrong and right now I can't bring myself to do that._

_Of course you can, Brittany. She's your wife; you need to tell her this. She's going to find out when she get's to the hospital anyhow. It'll be better if she hears it from you, time to 'man up', Brittany._

"_San, I need you to relax because if you don't I won't be able to get through this and I need to. I need to because I need to be there for you." Soon as the words are out of my mouth I feel slightly relieved despite everything. "It's infected, and I don't mean a simple infection. It's a really nasty infection, San. Like one of those I saw on those medical shows that used to scare me until parent blocked on the TV." I can't believe that my voice is as steady as it is. _

_Out of the corner of my eye I can see Santana's face change; the worry on her face continues to grow. It's killing me to see her like this. I take her hand in my own as we pull into the parking lot at Mount Sinai. "We're going to get you better, honey. We just need to get you into the ER and get someone to take a look at you."_

"_You promise?" She gives me a look; I can see the need for me to reassure her on this in her eyes._

"_You know I never promise anything to serious to anybody but, yes I promise." I give her the best smile I can, it may not be fake but I know how much Santana can tell that this is worrying me just by looking at me._

"_You're scared, aren't you?" Her voice is surprisingly calm and steady._

"_Yes, I am. Remember, the whole yikes moment when you first brought up kids?" I can't help but chuckle at myself. "I'm a worrier. It's who I am. But you're going to be okay, honey."_

"_Okay, that's all I needed to hear." She says before letting out a breath she seemed she didn't know she had been holding. _

_I may not be a highly religious woman but right now I can't help right now but pray that I'm right._

* * *

_We're in the ER for merely five minutes before it starts. _

"_Britt, where are we? Are we in the ER?" Santana's confused and concerned voice echoes through my consciousness. _

_I look down at Santana who is sitting down on a bed in the ER in front of Mike Chang; he had joined the surgical team at Mount Sinai last year. Mike gives me a quick look and I can see the concern in her eyes. "Yes, San we're in the ER, Mike here was just giving you a check up, remember?" I some how manage to keep my voice steady enough for my words to come out in a coherent manner before giving her a slight smile._

"_But why? I had my physical done like two months ago?" Confusion is written clearly over my wife's face. _

_Mike quickly comes up with an excuse to get Santana to relax. I look down at my wife and I can't help but worry more and more with every second. This isn't the flu any more, there was a lot more to this than a runny nose and a bad back. _

_An intern pulls up a seat for me next Santana and I give him the best smile I can, letting him know that his thoughtfulness if appreciated. "So San, just tell Mike how you're feeling." This is the best way I can help right now, I need him to understand this without having to explain this in front of her._

_Santana quickly complies and begins to list out all of her symptoms, her breathing becoming slightly more laboured as she does. The look on Mike's face as he begins to understand what's going on doesn't help my nerves. "Well we're going to get some blood work done, so I'll be right back, have that sleeve of yours rolled up before I get back, Lopez." He says with a slight smile, trying to hide his fear, as he walks away._

"_Why are we in the ER? My shift ended hours ago?" Santana asks again. She's not remembering anything, the confusion has taken over. This can only mean one thing; things are getting worse. My heart is breaking at the thought; I can feel the tears beginning to pool in my eyes._

_I stand up out of my chair and take Santana's hands in mine. Her hands are clammy. "Just lay back for me, okay? Just relax." I bring her hand to my lips trying to calm her._

_She raises her eyebrow in typical Santana fashion and unenthusiastically lays back, putting her head down on the sterile white pillow. I can't help but take everything about her in. Her features are so juxtaposed to the sterility of the ER. The olive tone of her skin, the raven shade of her hair, the russet hue in her eyes; they all stand out like a stain of blood on a white shirt. _

_Santana's eyes focus on my face for a moment. Before I know it her eyelids begin to flutter shut, hiding her breathtaking from me. There it is, the moment I've been dreading. _

_Comatose. _

_My legs crumple beneath me, not having the strength to keep myself and my façade up any longer. As I hit the floor the tears in my eyes begin to flow down my face, the sobs begin to consume me making me the eyesore of the ER. Through it all I refuse to let go of my wife's hand, because right now that is my hold on reality, my sanity._

* * *

I really hope you don't want to hit me with a brick after this chapter and that you enjoyed it! Just hang in there folks! I have a **sequel** to this story's original and I was wondering if any readers were interested in having it rewritten as well. So please let me know if you're interested so I can get to work on it ASAP! Again, thanks for all your support!


	17. Sixteen

_Italics are flashbacks!_

Sixteen. Bleeding Love  
"I don't care what they say; I'm in love with you.  
They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth."  
- Bleeding Love, Leona Lewis

In the infamous play Julius Caesar, Cassius said "Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." As surgeons they are used playing God in the OR. But sometimes in life there things, just as in the OR, that are simply out of their control_._

I look at Santana's hand that is intertwined with my own. Her classic black nail polish coated nails are beginning to chip slightly; she always had the habit of taping her nails on the nearest countertop or doorframe while she was waiting on something, at home or at work. I only now notice how pale her skin is. This can only mean one thing. My worst fear is only being further confirmed.

With my wife's hand gripped firmly I lean up against her bed. The sobs are continuing to wrack through my body. I try to call out to Mike but my many attempts all fail; no coherent words leave my mouth.

Out of the corner of my eye I see that I've caught the attention of Puck and the intern who had brought me the chair. I clear my throat and try to speak again but all that comes are pieces of words, words that to them mean nothing, but to me mean everything at this moment.

"Brittany." A look of concern forms on Puck's face as he all but runs over to me. He tries to help me up off the floor but I stubbornly refuse his help. I need to tell him what's wrong so he can help Santana before anyone helps me. "Britt, I need you to tell me what's going on."

"She's unresponsive, Dr. Puckerman." The intern says as he shines the light of his small flashlight in front of Santana's eyes.

"I can see that, Dr. Nelson." Puck's gaze leaves my face for a moment as he speaks. The sarcasm in his voice is undeniable. As he looks back at me I can see the concern in his eyes. "Brittany," My name sounds foreign coming out of his mouth. "Just take a nice deep breath. I need you to tell me what's wrong."

I follow his instructions taking to get the crying to stop, it was almost completely a minute but they do stop. "S-she's." I cough out; my throat has become sore, as if I had been clawing at it from the inside. I clear my throat knowing that I need to get this out. "She's going into septic shock." I had helped Santana study through to the early hours of the morning enough to know what was happening to my wife; and I truly wish I didn't.

Puck's grey eyes widen slightly out of surprise but he quickly contains his emotions. "Nelson, I need hydrocortisone, norepinephrine, and dobutamine. Now!" I can hear the footsteps from Dr. Nelson as he follows Puck's orders.

"Okay, Britt. I'm going to start San on some antibiotics and put her on oxygen until Chang get's back. Do you want to take a seat here next to her?" His voice is calm and warm; I can sense that he's trying his best to keep me calm.

I give him a half-hearted smile as I manage to pull myself up of the floor, never letting go of Santana's hand. I tentatively take a seat on the uncomfortable chair next to her. I absentmindedly rub circles with my thumb on the back of her hand as I watch Puck place an oxygen mask on Santana. The tears that had stopped are now beginning to sting in my eyes again. Watching the scene in front of me is petrifying.

My eyes never leave her face as Puck begins to speak to me again. "I know this is painful but I'm going to have to ask you a few questions." I simply nod my head in agreement before he continues his interrogation of sorts. "Is the shock happening because of a known previous infection?"

My mind begins to spin as I answer him. "She got a tattoo about a week ago and she had gotten sick a few days later. We both thought she was getting the flu because she said it's becoming popular among the patients in the ER lately." I drop my head and place my hand on my forehead. How could I have been so stupid? I never even thought of checking her tattoo for an infection after she had even gotten an inkling of being sick. "She woke my up around twenty minutes ago because she was in a lot of pain. Her breathing was partially uneven and hurried and she was freezing, I would guess her temperature was around 100 or 101. I looked at her tattoo and I'm certain it's a staph infection. It's what causing the sepsis."

"I'm impressed Britt, that's very helpful but I'm going to need to see the site of the infection." I can hear the hesitation and slight embarrassment in his voice.

"It's on her back, her lower left shoulder." My voice comes out more solemn then I mean it to. The thought of something so innocent and meaningful could cause this much pain made a shiver go down my spine.

Puck leaned my unresponsive wife up. He lifted up the back of her shirt to reveal Santana's tattoo which is now swollen, reddened, and has pus along the right edge. "You're right, Britt. It is a staph infection. We'll get her a room in a minute."

Mike takes this moment as time to return. "Puck, what do you think you're doing?" The anger and confusion in his voice was obvious.

"I was about to get one of the nurses to get Santana a room so we could treat her." I almost smile at his answer. I can remember what it was like when she first came back to work after we had gotten married. People tended to treat her differently and it slowly ate at her nerves.

"Brittany." Mike's concerned voice breaks me out of my current distracted state.

"Sorry, I was just, I just." I don't finish my sentence as I feel the blush creep across my cheeks.

"It's alright, Britt." I feel Mike's hand land comfortingly on my shoulder. "Puck was just telling you that the nurses have a room for Santana so you're going to need to fill out some paper work while we bring her upstairs. She should be ready for you to see her once you're done." He gives me a sad smile.

I look at my hand clasping Santana's. I don't want to let go. I'm playing with her engagement ring as I weigh my options. Do I stay here holding her hand forever knowing that they can't help her that way even though I don't want to let go or do I do the right thing and let them take my wife away from me. I feel as if I let go my hold on reality will be gone and that I'll slip into the world where Santana doesn't wake up and never comes back to me. And that is something I can't handle. I rationalize with myself, telling myself that nothing could happen to her in the fifteen minutes it should take me to fill out the paperwork. No, Mike would never let that happened.

I look up at Mike, giving her the best smile I can muster. "Okay, where's the forms?"

"I'll have them in a moment. Puck's going to bring her up to room 302 so you can go see her when you're done. I'll be right back with those forms." Mike's attempt at staying calm is beginning to fail; I can hear it in his voice. Mike had become a good friend to Santana over the years considering we had been close during high school and the first couple years of university. "Puck when you get her upstairs get her blood work done as soon as possible and then run a central line, keep her on the oxygen as well, okay?" I assume her question is rhetorical because she walks away to the nearby nurse's station.

Puck gives me a smile as Dr. Nelson returns holding numerous bags of medication. "Get an orderly and a nurse so we can transfer her to a room upstairs would you?" Puck asks his intern as he takes the medication from him.

Just as Mike had said he had only taken a moment to obtain the appropriate forms for me to fill out. "Here you go, Brittany." He says as he holds out a clipboard to me.

I look down at Santana's hand in my own for a quick moment before reluctantly taking the forms from him. "Thanks, Mike."

"I'll be up to check on her later after her blood work is done so I can update you on the course of treatment. See you then, Britt." And with that he was off to visit her other patients.

I stare pointlessly at the form in front of me for what seems like forever before Puck gets my attention again. "We're bringing her upstairs now, Britt." I look up to find that an orderly and a nurse had appeared and that they were going to be moving Santana onto a gurney in a moment.

"Okay, I'll just fill out these forms and hand them to the nurse at the nurse's station." Puck nods his head in agreement.

I have to tear my eyes away from Santana now. I can't bring myself to watch them move her; to see her so helpless and broken. The tears are beginning to form in my eyes again. "Pull it together, Brittany. You need to be strong for the both of you." I think to myself because it's the simple truth. Brittany isn't here to fill out her own paperwork or to hold her own hand, and she shouldn't have to. You can do this.

I only look up now as they lay Santana's head down on the pillow atop the gurney. The look on her face is so peaceful, she almost looks as if she's taking a nap and having a good dream. But this is chilling for me too see, the Santana I know and love would be mumbling in her sleep as she wraps her arms around my waist or her leg around my own.

I take Santana's hand in my own again not caring who's looking and lean in and place a quick kiss on her forehead, I let go of her hand, laying it down next to her and brush her hair out of her face. The smell of San's citrus shampoo fills my senses and I can't help but smile slightly.

As I stand up straight Puck gives me a small smile before nodding to the nurse and the orderly to bring the love of my life upstairs. He nods then quickly follows them down the hall towards the elevator.

I sigh to myself before taking a seat on the chair next to the bed where Santana was just lying. I finally begin to fill out the form Mike had given me minutes earlier. The questions were routine but I can't help but laugh to myself at one; what was Santana's middle name.

I can remember the first time I found out what her middle name was. It was only a month before we were married.

* * *

"_Why won't you tell me?" My slightly angered voice echoes throughout the apartment as Quinn walks out into the living room._

"_I'm not telling you because you're never going to know. Nobody knows, except for my parents of course." Santana says as she continues to make the enchiladas we were planning on having for supper._

"_What are you two bickering about now?" Quinn says apathetically as she begins to make herself a cup of coffee. "I swear you two have been arguing more now in the past month or two then you ever will once you are married." _

"_Oh, we're just arguing over how Santana over there" I point to my future wife like a child who is arguing with their parents would "won't tell me what her middle name is. We've been engaged for almost ten months, in an official relationship for almost six years, known each other for the majority of our lifetimes and she won't get over herself and tell me what her middle name is!" My voice is now raised enough to be considered a yell. _

"_Jeez, that's it, Satan. I've known that since you watched Bambi for the first time and you went crying to your mom when we were five." Quinn says as she takes a seat next to me at the counter. _

_I physically turn to Quinn and raise my eyebrow in a Santana-like fashion. "You know what her middle name is and I don't?" _

"_Well isn't that obvious considering we're having this conversation?" She replies almost sarcastically before taking a sip of her coffee. _

"_That is totally unfair. You said it yourself Santana, girlfriend, wait, fiancée, trumps sometimes roommate." I now realize that I probably sound like an eight year old but the thought doesn't bother me. _

"_Sorry, Britt, that doesn't apply to this situation. Quinn found out what my middle name was because my mother told her not me. If I had my way nobody would know it." Santana shakes her head. _

"_It's Eu-" _

"_No!" San interrupts Quinn with a yell before slamming the fork she has in her hand down on the counter. "No, Q, you do not get to tell her my middle name." The anger is prominent in her voice. _

"_Fine, then, I'll let you two love birds bicker it out. I'm off to Rach's." Quinn takes a long swallow of her coffee before placing the mug in the sink and swiftly exiting the apartment. _

_Santana crosses the kitchen putting her back to me. I take this opportunity to hop noiselessly off my stool and stand behind her, slipping my arms around her waist. She stiffens for only a moment then almost instantaneously relaxes. _

"_Why won't you tell me? Don't you plan on marrying in almost a month's time and spending the rest of your life with me? How can I not know the middle name of woman who's going to be the mother of my children?" I make the smile that spreads across my face present in my voice. _

_My heart starts to beat faster and faster as I hear Santana's breathing hitch. We had discussed children many times after I had proposed to Santana; I told her my feelings on the subject which obviously weren't reciprocated by her. The memory of the fear in her eyes when I had talked of our future with children and cats, and possibly ducks, with us living in that classic house with the white picket fence and huge backyard where our children could play had haunted my thoughts for months. We had decided that we'd discuss it again when I thought she was ready; she had fought with me the first time I had brought it up, claiming she would be the worst mother and our child would end up hating her. But she was ready, she may not have realized it, but she was._

"_Really?" She asks. She doesn't turn around but you can tell there's a smile forming on her beautiful face. "Are you sure?"_

_I lean in slightly and whisper into her ear. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life besides for one thing, and that's my love for you. And I know if you love our child as half as much as I love you then everything is going to be perfect. But I know you'll love them just as much as I love you." I breathe in Santana's scent, happily knowing the fact that this breathtaking scent would fill my senses for the rest of my life. _

_I feel her hand slip around my own now. "I love you." Her voice is soft yet firm, letting me know she means every word, every syllable. "My abuela said that if my father got to name me after a guitarist then she got to give me my middle name. That woman and her saints, I tell you. Eulalia, my middle name is Eulalia."_

_I can't help but let out a sigh of contentment before replying. "I love you too, Santana Eulalia Lopez."_

* * *

I feel a hand being placed on my shoulder, catching my attention. I look up to find the surprisingly comforting eyes of Quinn Fabray, our best friend.

"I'll fill out the rest of the forms. Go see, San." Her voice is startlingly calm even though I can see the hurt and worry on her face.

I hand her the clipboard and pen before pausing to give her a hug. "Thanks Q, for everything." I give her a smile before letting go.

"You're family B, don't expect anything less." She gives me a classic HBIC Fabray smile before laughing.

I don't even try to hit her for the use of her bitch smile before I turn around and begin to make my way upstairs to see my nothing less than amazing wife, hoping that Puck and Mike have a plan to have her back to her talkative, lively self.


	18. Seventeen

Seventeen. Open Your Eyes  
"I want so much to open your eyes,  
Cause I need you to look into mine."  
- Open Your Eyes, Snow Patrol

I look around Santana's empty room. The sterility is just shouting from every surface. The only thing I have to keep myself sane is the knowledge that Quinn had called Rachel to bring Lily to the hospital and they were bound to be here in less than a half an hour. I couldn't spend my time staring at Santana's almost lifeless form as Mike and Puck had taken her a procedure room to remove the infected tissue from her back. I knew that Santana was going to be devastated that her tattoo was going to be ruined but then again she always said scars were bad ass and that chicks digged them. After years of motocross, baseball and cheerios I had managed to become the owner of some scars of my own. No matter how much she hated that I got hurt, Santana surprisingly became attached to every single one of them. I can only hope that that would be an indication that she won't take this too harshly.

I look up at the clock hanging by the nurse's station. 3:36. I've been awake for just over an hour and a half and my day hasn't even really begun. I notice a few nurse's standing down the hall that are looking in the direction of Santana's room and are appearing to be whispering. Great. That's all we need; the entire hospital knowing about Santana.

A slim, black haired figure wearing a classic navy scrub cap comes into view standing directly in front of the nurses. It only took a quick glance to tell that it was Mike. If it wasn't his form that gave him away his firm tone was a quick give away as he begins to lecture the nurses. "What do you think you're doing? Don't you think Dr. Lopez has been through enough, the last thing she needs is the entire hospital knowing about her business. Aren't you supposed to be doing your jobs? You have patients to attend to, paper work to do, things that are of greater importance than the latest gossip. So go and do your jobs." I don't need to see Mike's face to know that he's giving them a stare down, the nurses' reaction is enough to tell me that.

Mike quickly turns on his heels and begins making his way towards Santana's room. He now notices that I've been watching him, a small smile forms on his face. As he enters the room he shuts the door behind him to ensure that no nurses will be overhearing our conversation.

"How did it go?" I ask, trying to make myself seem less solemn than everyone thinks. I had overhead a nurse earlier saying how depressed I looked; that I looked like something half way in between strung out druggie and someone who's entire family had died in some tragic accident.

"It went extremely well. We were able to remove all of the infected tissue. There will be some scarring but that is to be expected." The smile on Mike's face lessens as he continues to speak which makes me begin to feel more anxious. "We will put her on hemodialysis once she's back in her room which should ensure that the infection is removed completely from her system. This will make it more possible for her to come out of the coma."

Mike's words are hanging in the air. I can't look him in the eye anymore I fix my gaze on the empty bed next to me. Possible, she had said possible. Not probable, but possible. I didn't need to know that it would make it more possible for her to wake up. I needed to hear that it was more _probable_ that she would wake up. I needed her to wake up.

Tears are beginning to spring up in my eyes again but I quickly blink them away and look back up at Mike. I put on a fake smile before replying to his statement. "Thanks, Mike. It's good that you were able to remove all the infected tissue."

"You're welcome, Britt. Puck should have Santana back here with you in no time. I'll be back later on this morning to check up on you two." The smile on his face grows before he exits the room.

He believed the act, as most people do. They don't see through the fake smile, the dimples, and the optimism like Santana does. They believe the act because they don't know me well enough. Nobody knows me like she does. I need her to come back to me and see when I'm faking it. I need her to come back and tell me that everything's going to be okay. I need her to.

I lean forward in my chair, placing me elbows on my knees, putting my face in my hands. The tears that were forming in my eyes moments before are now rolling down my face. I've given in to the fear; the fear that tells me Mike might be right, that is was only a possibility that San might wake up, fear that has only been added to by my years of helping San studying during med school and for her intern exam and boards. Because not everybody gets the chance to wake up, not everybody gets a second chance.

* * *

After what feels like an hour Puck and an orderly has brought San back to her room, laying her down in her bed. Puck hooked Santana up dialysis before he and the orderly left me alone with her.

I can't help but notice a slight bit of color has returned to her cheeks. Even with this she stills looks broken and lonely. I pull my chair closer to the edge of her bed and take her hand in my own again. The contact makes me feel slightly better but it's not enough. I can't half her halfway. I need all of her.

Flashbacks of the time she had the chicken pox fill my mind. She hadn't gotten them as a child like everyone else we knew and have gotten incredibly sick when she managed to catch it during our freshman year of university. I had hoped that day that this was the only time Santana would have to be admitted to the hospital for being sick. I never could have imagined us like this, her unresponsive and me heartbroken. I can't help but fulfill the urge to sit in the bed with her.

I get up out of my chair and carefully move Santana over slightly to the left making enough some for me to fit, it was bound to be slightly uncomfortable with hospital beds only being made for one but I didn't care. All I needed right now was to be close to her, physically comfortable or not.

I climb into the bed, wrapping my arm around Santana's waist, laying my head on her shoulder. I automatically slip my right leg under her left, just as it would be if we were sound asleep at home. I begin running my fingers through her raven hair; I would spend countless hours doing this while we 'watched' movies that I picked that made Santana fall asleep. I would choose these movies on purpose just so that I could watch her sleep; she always looked so peaceful, so content.

"San, I need you to open your eyes. I need you so open your eyes and look in to mine so I can see how much you love me. I need you to look into my eyes and show me forever with you is possible." My voice is merely a whisper. I'm hoping that somehow my voice enters her subconscious.

Somewhere between running my fingers through Santana's hair and telling her how much I love her I manage to drift off to sleep with imagines of watching Lily grow up with San standing by my side filling my mind.

* * *

"Rach! Be quiet!" Quinn's angered whisper causes me to wake up, but I keep my eyes closed trying to bask in the moment for just a minute longer.

"Quinn, just wake her up! You know that she'll cheer up at least a little bit when she sees Lily." Rachel's semi-calm voice echoes through Santana's room.

"I know, but I just can't wake her up, they just look so adorable and content like that."

I couldn't help but think that it was sweet to see the roles between Quinn and Rachel reversed.

I open my eyes to find Lily asleep in Quinn's arms; her hold on her favorite stuffed animal is still tight even though she is sound to the world. The look on her face is one filled with content. Lily looks like a miniature version of Santana. At the thought of this I feel as if someone has ripped my heart out of my chest. I feel alone.

"Hey Brittany, you're awake." Quinn's voice is now greater than a whisper and is filled with surprise.

I wipe the sleep from my eyes before replying. "Yeah, I'm awake. It doesn't look like either of my girls are though." The disappointment is clear in my voice. My eyes are now becoming overcome with moisture.

"Hey, hey, don't cry." Rachel's hand is on my arm trying to comfort me in mere seconds.

"Sorry, this whole thing is making me act like a big blubbering baby. I can't believe I called Santana a baby this morning when she was complaining about her nose running like crazy and–" I don't get to finish my sentence as I am cut off by Quinn.

"Don't Brittany. Don't try and make yourself the bad guy, I can tell that you're blaming yourself that you didn't realize that S didn't actually have the flu." She stops but only for a moment, but enough for me to realize that what she's saying. "Don't blame yourself B because she knows how much you love her, hell, I even know how much you love her. I don't know if you realize this, even though you've been through so much and been together long enough to know this, but you're her hero B. You put her back together again, you made her my best friend again, and you're the reason why she's still here. You, Britt, not any medication, not any procedure, not any doctor, you're the reason why she's still alive, Brittany." Quinn's voice is calm and sincere; I look into her eyes to shockingly tears looking as if they are about to fall.

"Quinn" is the only thing I can say because she's left me speechless. Santan has told me on numerous occasions something close to what she has said but its different coming from her, coming from one who isn't my wife, it makes even more meaningful and real. I never quite realized how much she had needed me until now.

Quinn stands up, carefully cradling Lily in her arm trying not to wake her. She walks the few feet from where she was sitting next to Santana's, and currently my own, bedside. "You can think you want that you didn't save her and that she saved herself but you'll be wrong. You saved her, not me or anyone else. You did. You just need to be patient and wait for her to wake up, because I know that she's fighting like hell to get back to you and Lily." She looks down at Lilry who looks more like Santana now than I've ever seen her. "So just take Lily and wait, I know it's hard but it's what you need to do."

Quinn bends over slightly and places Lily gently in my arms. She gives me a small smile before nodding to Rachel, who looks amazed at her fiancée's seriousness, to acknowledge that it's now time to leave. She backs away and she wraps her arm around Rachel's waist and begins to guide her out of the room. As they leave I pick out a faint goodbye from Rachel.

I look down at Lily begins to stir due to the exchange of moving from Quinn's arms to mine. I look over at the clock just outside of Santana's room to see if it's a sensible time for her to be up because quite frankly I don't know how long I've been asleep. 5:06, it's around the time she usually wakes up when Santana gets up to get ready to go into work so I choose to let her wake rather than soothing her back to sleep. I begin to tickle her toes know full well that in seconds she'll be giggling and smiling.

As she opens her eyes and begins to smile her hold on the stuffed cat disappears as it falls onto Santana's stomach. Out of the corner of my eye I swear I can see my wife's mouth twitch in almost smirk-like fashion due to the stimulus, but I simply believe my mind is playing tricks on me as I watch Lily try to reach for the small giraffe. As she looks up at me after grabbing the toy she realizes that it is Santana laying next to me the smile on her face widens before she lets of a squeal of excitement. Lily attempts to climb out of my arms and places her hand on Santana's cheek as if to get her attention.

"I'm sorry, baby girl." I whisper in her ear as I gently pull back into my arms, cradling her. Lily looks as if she's about to cry. "I know, Lily, I know. I want Mami to wake up too, sweetie." I place a quick kiss on Lily's forehead.

As I pull away I feel my leg move. I can't help but stop in my tracks. I didn't make my own leg move. I turn my head to find Santana's eyelids flickering as if someone was shining a flashlight in her eyes. I feel Santana's leg move again before her eyes almost completely open. "Britt?" Santana's husky voice escapes her lips.

It takes me a moment to reply because I'm rendered speechless. "Santana" is the only word I can say as tears begin to form in my eyes. A wide smile is creeping across my face as Lily let's out an animated squeal of contentment.

"W-Wa-" Santana's voice is still low and barely audible due to the dryness of her throat but I understand what she means so I cut her off so she doesn't strain herself.

"Shh, it's okay. You want water. I'll get you some." I quick but carefully unwrap myself from the bed sheets and get off the bed. I don't resist the urge to lean in and kiss Santana's forehead. "I love you." I give her the most genuine smile I've given anyone all day before turning around to pour Santana a glass of water.

After giving her the water she's able to speak. "Britt, I'm scared." The fear in her voice is undeniable. She looks so vulnerable, almost child-like. "I-I don't remember." She pauses for a moment as I carefully sit back down next to her on the bed, conscious of a squirming Lily in my arms. "I missed you."

"It's okay, baby." I rarely called Santana by this pet name, but I couldn't help but notice the small smile that formed on her face when I did. "You're going to be okay. You weren't getting the flu, San, it was your tattoo. You had a staph infection." A look of shock comes across your face. I can tell that I'm scaring her now more than assuring her she going to be okay. I need to reverse this reaction. "Mike and Puck were able to remove all the infected tissue, it's going to scar, but I haven't seen it yet. You're on dialysis and antibiotics to completely remove the infection. But you're going to be just fine, as healthy as a horse." I can't help but chuckle at the use of a cliché at the end of my sort of speech.

The relief can be seen spreading across Santana's face. "I'm sorry I scared you." She chuckles her infamous chuckle before continuing. She turns her attention to Lily who is now attempting to free herself from my arms to crawl into Santana's lap. "Hey baby girl, Mami missed you too. Yeah she did." I hold out to her who giggle as Santana takes her in her arms.

She begins to play with Lily's toes then looks at me with a look of utmost content on her face. "I love you, Brittany."

I only now notice that the tears that were forming in my eyes moments earlier have slid down my face. "I love you too, Santana. I'll go call Mike because he told me to get him if any progress happened." I begin to inch myself out of the bed but I'm stopped by Santana's hand, which is now warmer than it had been hours before, on my arm.

"Stay. I want to spend a few minutes with my two favorite people in the world before I get interrogated by half of the Asian fusion." Santana's classic grin spreads across her face.

"Alright." I sit back down in the bed with Santana, placing my hand on her knee. "You have no idea how happy I am to be able to look into your eyes right now." I say look her straight in the face, a smile spreading fully across my face reveal the slight dimples that Santana loved so much.

"I think I do."


	19. Eighteen

This is the second to last chapter and I'm still wondering if you guys are interested in a sequel. Life is a little bit hectic but I will definitely make time for it if y'all are interested. Please let me know (: Thanks for all your support!

Eighteen. MFEO Part One  
"Well maybe, we were made, we were made for each other.  
Is it possible for the world to look this way forever?"  
- MFEO Part 1: Made For Each Other, Jack's Mannequin.

"Your sister is officially crazy! I love your sister, but this is insane." Santana's slightly concerned voice echoes loudly through the rental car.

As I pull into my parent's driveway I simply shake my head. Of course Santana would think it crazy, I even thought it was crazy initially but it had only taken a few hours to warm up to the idea.

"If Lily grows up and tries to pull a stunt like this you'll never get me to agree to it." She says stubbornly as I shut off the car. A ten month old Lily turns her attention to Santana at the sound of her name.

"It's not a stunt. Ashely's old enough to know what she wants, San. This is actually going to be good for her, don't you see that?" My voice is firm but warm enough to let Santana know I'm not mad at her. My gut is telling me that this isn't the last comment I'm going to be making on this topic. "I'll get the bags, you take Lily." I say before getting out to the SUV.

As Santana follows my lead by getting out of the SUV to get Lily in the back seat she continues the conversation. "She's 20 year old, Brittany. She won't even be able to legally drink at her own wedding! She's supposed to be out exploring the world, going to college, picking a major. She's not supposed to be going out and getting married. How the heck did she get your mother to agree to this?" Her voice is now even more urgent as she opens the other passenger door to take Lily out of her car seat.

As I open the hatch to take out the luggage I hear Lily begin to mumble non-sense as Santana unbuckles her seatbelt. A smile involuntarily spreads across my face. Over the past two weeks Lily has become more verbally responsive and Santana & I are think she's going to start talking soon.

"I see your point, San, but just because it's not what's considered the normal doesn't mean it's wrong. We of all people should know that." I take Lily's small suitcase out of the SUV before continuing to speak. "Yes, she may be 20 but she's not an idiot."

"I'm not implying that she is, but how long has she even known the guy?" Santana lifts Lily out of the vehicle, placing her on her hip, and then shuts the door behind her before coming over and taking the suitcase from me.

"About five months. But -" I don't get to finish my sentence as I am interrupted by my wife who is becoming more irritated by the second.

"My point, how could your Mom let her marry someone she barely even knows? She," I put a finger to her lips. She's adorable when she starts rambling on but I need her to understand this and not think my sister is doing something stupid when it's probably the smartest thing she's ever done.

"San," I pause for a moment and take my finger away from her lips. Santana nods her head slightly in response as if to say she's listening. "My mother actually likes him. Do you know how many people my sister has been with that my mother actually has liked? How many people I have been with that my mother has liked?"

"Well with you she's only had me and Artie so?" I can see her flinch at the mention of his name.

I stop and look into her slightly widen, chocolate brown eyes and involuntarily smile. "One, only one." I can't help but wrap my arm around her waist and cup her cheek in my hand as she gives me a shy smile that always makes butterflies flutter in my stomach. "You, you are the only person I've been with my mother has ever liked. You know for a fact she couldn't stand Artie."

I cannot resist the urge to kiss her. I softly place my lips on hers, pulling her closer careful not to squish Lily. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I can taste Santana's strawberry lip gloss on me and I force myself to pull away before I get too caught up in the moment.

"She knew that we were made for each other." I drop my hand from her face and intertwine her fingers with my own. "She knew that I loved you and that you loved me, and that it didn't matter if anybody else thought that that wasn't enough. Because she knew it was, she knew that you were meant for me and I was meant for you."

The small smile that was slowly creeping across my breathtaking wife's face has now become a full blown smile. "I love you, Brittany." I can see the understanding in her eyes and know that I've made my point clear.

"I love you too, Santana. Now you understand that my mother wouldn't let Ashley marry J.P if he wasn't the one for her so we can go inside without you freaking out at my sister and start telling her she's crazy. She's more heard enough of that from the rest of the family and we've always been supportive of her, especially you, so let's just let her be happy, okay?"

"I have absolutely no problem with that. I just needed you to talk me down." A blush of embarrassment has now spread across Santana's cheeks.

"Don't I always?" I give her a quick peck on the lips with a wink. "But for that you get to take the suitcases this time and I get to take Lily." I quickly wrap my arms around our daughter and vigilantly take her from Santana.

As I begin to walk towards my parent's house I can see Santana out of the corner of my eye. She has a look of utmost shock on her face. I can't help but laugh. I place a kiss on Lily's cheek as I tighten my hold on her. "Momma knows how to get Mami to do the work. Yea, she does."

I can't help but smile as Lily places her hand on my cheek and begins to giggle as if she fully understands what I'm saying. Something tells me that this weekend was only going to get better and better.

* * *

We were all in the den in my parent's house; my sister, my mother, my aunts, a few of my cousins, Santana who was holding Lily in her lap and I. My sister was standing in the middle of the room in her wedding gown.

"Oh my gosh, Ash! You look beautiful, one of the most beautiful brides I've ever seen! You should be in one of those bridal magazines!" I'm in shock. I've always thought that my sister was a beautiful person but this completely blew me out of the water.

Ashley's dress was the strapless yet classic. The cut of the dress accentuated her figure, showing off her slightly athletic yet small frame. Instead of the usual crisp white color of wedding dresses my sister chose to have a light cream dress. The beading on the dress was simply elegant yet it wasn't over the top like one would expect. It was perfect for her.

"I'm sure I'm nothing compared to how Santana looked at your wedding. But thank you anyways, Britty." Ashley lets out a laugh before smiling widely.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see an endearing blush begin to creep up on Santana's face. "It's not my fault I'm biased." I chuckle as I place a hand on Santana's knee to reassure her that there's no need for her to be embarrassed.

I stand up but not without giving Santana a quick smile. I walk up next to Ashley who is looking at herself nervously now in the mirror in front of her. "You look beautiful." I wrap my arm around her waist carefully pulling myself in to give her a hug. "I can't believe my little sister's getting married. It only feels like yesterday you were calling me B and running around our apartment holding onto your favorite teddy bear for dear life because I was chasing you threatening to tickle you." Tears are undeniably forming in my eyes.

"No, Britty, don't be getting soft on me, you're going to me make cry!" Ashley hits me playfully on the arm. "You're worse than Mom. I'm not getting married until tomorrow, save your crying for then. After the wedding! Tonight's supposed to be fun!" Ashley smiles widely then wipes away the tears that are sliding down my cheek.

"Well let's go have some fun then!" I say as enthusiastically as possibly with the images of a five year old Ashley running through my mind. I let go of my sister and make my way to Santana who was still sitting on the couch. "How about we get Lily to bed then give my sister the best bachelorette party ever?" I laugh as I help Santana up off the couch.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Santana's excitement is obvious in her tone as she replies.

"Lead the way!"

* * *

Looking in the rear view mirror I can't help but laugh at the look on my sister's face. The look on her face is a mixture of disgust and utter terror. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Santana smirk. We had just pulling into the batting cages around ten miles from our parent's house.

"The batting cages, seriously, Britty! This is your great plan for my bachelorette party?" Ashley asks slightly panicked.

"Yes, this is my genius idea." I say with a matter of fact tone.

Ashley decided that she was going to pull a typical Lopez freak out; she had managed to learn that from Santana over the years. "Isn't this the type of thing _guys_ do at a _bachelor_ party? You have always been somewhat of a tomboy Britt between motocross and baseball, but has marrying Santana turned you into a guy? No, it hasn't! So please tell me why the hell we are at the batting cages?"

"Ash, calm down. You sister and I have got it all covered. The cages have its pros, just wait and see what I mean. It's super fun!" Santana replies for me with enthusiasm as she turns around in the passenger seat to face my sister.

"Fine, I'll give it a shot. You better be right about this, Santana." Ashley shakes her finger in front of Santana.

"Don't you go waving your finger at my wife." I scold. I look over at Santana. It's moments like this, the simple moments, that make me sure that my mother was right; that we were made for each other. "She's always right." I don't resist the urge to lean over and give Santana a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay you two, show me what the hell is so freakin' magical about the batting cages!" Ashley yells as she hops out of the SUV, shutting the door so hard it could be considered a slam on her way out.

"Let's go show you sister why the batting cages are awesome!" Santana's smile has spread across her face.

"You're way too perky sometimes, you know? It's kinda scary how much you've changed since high school. Those patients of yours must be pretty somethin'." I flash her a goofy smile.

"I know, but you love me for it. And our daughter is pretty somethin'."

"Yes, I do. I love and your enthusiasm."

"Let's go play some ball." Santana laughs as I grab the edge of her leather jacket, pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"Come on slugger, let's show 'em what we're made of."

* * *

"I can't believe you've never done this before!" Santana is in complete shock that my sister has never held a baseball bat in her life. The idea hadn't occurred to me when I planned tonight. "I've known you your entire life and you've never played baseball before? You are a disgrace to America, Puerto Rico, and the entire Lopez family!"

"Why is that so shocking? Look at me, I look like the type to just go out and play baseball for the hell of it." Ashley says, the sarcasm is just ringing in her tone. "I was the girl who sat on the bleachers watching while the guys played. Me plus sweat plus dirt and grass equals big no no!"

"Well there's always a time to start." Santana hands my sister the bat and places the helmet on her head.

"I thought you said that the batting cages had its pros." Ashley looks utterly terrified.

"Well for you it does. Have you not noticed that this place is pretty much filled with guys and they have good looking employees?" Santana motions to our surroundings to emphasize her point.

"Okay, point taken." I can tell Ashley is resisting the urge to roll her eyes at San.

I take this opportunity to enter the conversation. "She's right you know. This is your last night of being single, take your pick but just don't take it too far, okay kiddo?"

Ashley decides that what I've said deserves a slap on the arm. "I'm not a kid! And I don't need a lecture from Mom."

I can't help but slap her back. "Hey! I may be a Mom but I'm sure as hell not your mother!"

"Anyways, I'm going to follow your lovely motherly advice so you two have fun!" AShely quickly disappears in the small crowd.

"Can you believe her?" I ask Santana as I walk over to her.

"Yup, I completely can." Santana laughs. "It's time to get down to business, first one to fifteen wins?"

"You're on, San." I lean in for a kiss that's enough to get Santana flustered before grabbing the extra helmet and bat in her arms.

"T-that is no fair! You can't, you just can't."

"I can't what?" I cut her off. I imitate a classic Santana devilish smirk before turning away. Not many would suspect it but I had to do what I did because to be honest, Santana could kick my ass at baseball any day and I wasn't about to let her beat to a pulp in front of my little sister.

* * *

"Do you think she had fun?" I ask.

Santana and I have been lying in bed for the past ten minutes trying to get to sleep after arriving home from my sister's bachelorette party.

"Of course she did. Did you not see her face the entire ride home?" San lets out a small laugh as she rolls over so that I can see her breathtaking brown eyes.

"So I take it she did have fun then. That's good. I wanted to make sure I got it right." My voice is slightly above a whisper.

"You did get it right, Britt. You always do. So stop worrying about it." Santana wraps her leg around my own underneath the sheets.

"I know. It's just that I just can't believe my little sister is getting married. It's just so surreal. Like I said earlier, one moment she was calling me B and holding a teddy bear and then the next she's going out and getting married to a guy I've never even met."

"You don't need to worry about it. I might have thought that she was being irrational and crazy before but she's not, she's ready." Santana voice is calm compared to my own.

"How, how do you know she's ready?" I couldn't see how my wife could tell that my sister was ready to get married when I was the one who fully on board with this only hours earlier and is now getting cold feet.

"Do you know what she said to me when you were getting ready to go out tonight?" Santana answers my question with another question.

"No, no I don't."

"She said 'I hope that Jeremy and I are as happy as you and my sister are. I know that he'll make me as happy as you make my sister, which is pretty damn happy so thank you for that. She says that she understands but I'm not sure, I just want her to understand that I may be twenty years old but that doesn't mean I can't love someone as much as she can. I want her to understand that I'm not that kid who follows her around the city when we visit her because she wants to be just like her big sister. I want her to understand that I'm an adult but that doesn't mean I'm not still her little sister anymore and that I still don't look up to her as much because I do. I just don't want her to treat me like I'm still a five year old running around your apartment clutching onto a teddy bear for dear life anymore.' And that is how I know she's ready."

Santana's voice is like a sedative. It calms me down until the only thing I can concentrate on is what she has just said. All the doubt and fear just floats away. She's right, she's ready.

"Thank you." My voice is steady yet soft.

"For what?" The curiosity in her voice is genuine.

"For loving me." I pull her closer, wrapping my arm around her waist. I place a chaste kiss on Santana's forehead, taking the time to take in the smell of her citrus shampoo. "Do you think it's possible?"

"For what to be possible?"

"For everything to be like this forever, for me to love you, for Lily to happy, for everything to be just as it's supposed to be?" I run my fingers through Santana's wavy raven black hair.

"Anything is possible, Brittany." Santana's voice is undeniably calm and content. "I love you, Britt-Britt."

"Goodnight, San. I love you too."

She's said everything I've ever need to hear. I can now shut my eyes and drift off to sleep holding half of my entire world in my arms.


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue. Be My Escape  
"Cause I've been housing all this doubt and insecurity and  
I've been locked inside that house all the while you hold the key."  
- Be My Escape, Relient K

"Do you Ashley Erica Pierce take Jeremy Paul Austen as your lawfully wedded husband?" The priest's words are just background noise. Every spectator of the wedding has their eyes on the bride and groom standing in front of them saying their 'I do's; every single of one of them, besides for me.

My eyes are focused on the miraculously stunning woman standing next to the bride, the maid of honor, my wife. Her European features are accentuated by the blue shade of her form fitting bridesmaid dress. Her hair is naturally wavy and pinned back slightly making every breathtaking detail of her face, every laugh line, every scar, visible.

I am only broken out of my trance when everyone surrounding me begins to clap. I turn my gaze slightly to the right and see my sister-in-law sharing her first kiss with her husband. I can't help but smile. I know how powerful this moment can be. It's burned into your memory forever.

* * *

"_You may kiss the bride." Out of the corner of my I can see the priest next to me smile before closing his bible._

_I look into Brittany's tear rimmed cerulean eyes for moment before her lips are softly pressed against mine. I can feel her lips form a smile. I can taste the sweet and tangy flavor of Brittany's lime lip gloss on my lips. Her tongue slightly flickers over my bottom lip but only for a moment. _

_I instantly want more but she pulls away and gives me the most breathtaking smile I've ever seen. Her eyes are telling me that there'll be plenty time for more of that later. She holds out her hand for me to take and I don't even need to think about it. I immediately take her hand and begin to walk down the aisle._

_I can't help but look over at my father. Tears are in his eyes as he takes my mother's hand. He gives me a classic Lopez wink before he's out of my sight. I look over at Brittany whose eyes are fixated on mine. I can't help but smile, the thought of spending the rest of my life looking into those eyes, spending all the important moments with them, seeing them in the eyes some of my children, and it instantly brings me to bliss._

* * *

"I convinced her to get the pictures taken here." Britt smirks as she stands behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist.

"Why?" I'm merely curious because, yes, the park in the neighbourhood Brittany and I grew up in was beautiful but growing up here made me able to think of numerous places Ashley could have picked over this one.

"Because it's simply beautiful here and I know that this place is kind of special for us so I thought that it could be special for them too. So I convinced her to choose here so that it could be a place for them to go when they just wanted to get away from it all." She answers. Of course, that was why. Brittany being Brittany she wanted to share the magic the park with her sister considering we weren't in Ohio as often as we'd like. "Come on, take a walk with me. I don't need to get any more pictures taken so we can go sit down at our favorite spot."

Brittany takes my hand that isn't on the handle of Lily's stroller in hers. I don't even get to protest before she begins to walk towards the path leading out of the garden leading me along with the biggest smile on her face. I can't help but roll my eyes at my wife's persistence.

Minutes later we were sitting at the picnic table we had sat at every day of our last trip to Ohio. I could still remember the look on Brittany's face when I had told her that she wouldn't be talking to her grandfather alone, that we were going to it together. The smile that was on her face was so vulnerable, so beautiful. I can't help but smile now at the memory.

Brittany is now smiling back at me, looking down at Lily who is sitting in my lap playing a toy phone, pushing the buttons to make undecipherable patterns. Lily, being Lily, drops the phone on the ground next to my seat.

"You're lucky Mami's a sucker for you, Lils. She's always picking up your stuff. Yea, Mami's always picking up your stuff." Brittany laughs as I carefully lean down to pick up the toy. I quickly wipe of the dirt on the toy phone before handing it back to Lily.

"Mami!" Lily says before giggling in delight.

"Did she? Did she just say what I think she said?" My voice is as extremely excited and I'm fairly sure I am slightly bouncing in my seat.

"Yes, she said what you think she said." The smile on Brittany's face widens, I can see the slight tears in her eyes. "Who's that?" She points back at me.

I look down at Lily who's now staring up at me. "Mami." Lily says as she turns her attention to me before beginning to play with the toy telephone again.

I look over at Brittany who looks as if she's about to cry. I can't help but take her hand that is lying on the table and hold it tightly in my own. "Lil," In response to her name our daughter looks up at me again. "Who's that there?" I point over at Brittany hoping that this isn't about to blow up in my face.

Lily looks over at my wife and smiles before saying "Momma."

I can't help but place a kiss on top of her head of raven black curls. "She's got her Momma's brains alright." I smile as the tears in Brittany's eyes begin to roll down her cheek.

I can remember waking up this morning thinking that the day couldn't get any better, how wrong I was.

* * *

_Waking up to the warm Ohio sun across my face was a great way to start the day. I roll over to wrap my arm around Brittany's waist but it is met with nothing but air. Brittany's side of the bed is empty and just barely warm; she's been up for a while. I look over at the clock next to the bed. 8:57, this is the latest I've slept in this late for weeks. A noise from the bathroom connected to Britt's room, well in this case our room, brings my attention to possibilities of where my wife could be, it is now obvious._

_As I look over to the door to the bathroom Brittany appears in the doorway. "Good morning, sleepy head." My favorite goofy smile appears on her face as she makes her way back to bed. She takes a seat next to me on the bed before leaning in and giving me a kiss. If I hadn't been completely awake it definitely would have woken me up no trouble._

"_Good morning. What's for breakfast?" I ask as curiously as possible, fully well knowing that Brittany was going to end up having my usual breakfast of cinnamon french toast made for me by the time I get up and dressed. _

"_You know what you're having for breakfast, silly goose!" Brittany rolls her eyes then shakes her head as if in disbelief. _"_I thought that breakfast could wait a little while." A smile forms on her face. _

"_Brittany! Over my dead body, not it your parents house, especially with our daughter less than six feet away!" I whisper, my voice is fury and embarrassment. My cheeks are immediately filled with blush._

_Brittany laughs before giving me a response, "You wouldn't have said that if this was a few years earlier." I give her a stern look, as if to say that it's not even close to funny. She stops laughing and puts her hands on either side of me. "As much as I'd love to, San, that's not what I meant." _

"_Oh." I say in embarrassment. I pull the sheets up further to cover part of my face to hide the blush. _

_Brittany quickly pulls the sheet back down before kissing me again to reassure me that I have nothing to be embarrassed about, even if she did find it funny. "I actually need to tell you something." Her smile again graces my presence. _

"_Okay? I have no idea what you're talking about." I'm nervous, what could Brittany possibly want to tell me, was it something to do with Lily, with Ashley? _

_Her words enter my conscious making the world stand still, rendering me speechless._

* * *

Sitting down at the dinner table next to Mrs. Pierce watching Brittany stand up to make her maid of honor speech I couldn't help but laugh nervously. Brittany was never the one for public speaking, you couldn't tell but the night before the assembly for the campaigning senior class presidents she was a complete nervous wreck; ultimately creating the need for me to get vomit out of her hair. Not a fun task to say the least.

As my wife makes her way to the microphone next to the podium at the front of the room I can see the anxiety and nervousness in her eyes. She's mumbling under her breath, more than likely in Spanish; a habit she had managed to pick up from me during the years. It still amazes me how I can still read Brittany like a book. It may have taken me around a year to catalogue everything but I remembered it all.

I could now tell you that before Brittany begins to speak she's going to wipe her hands in her dress as discretely as possible and that once she does begin to speak she'll end up rambling and going completely off what she's prepared. That was just Brittany; and I loved everything about her.

Just as expected Britt discretely wipes her hands in her dress before clearing her throat to speak. "As many of you know, I'm not the one who can get up and speak in front of a room, unless I have a kindergarten lesson plan in my hand. You all know that that's more Ashley's field, she definitely didn't get it from me."

She laughs nervously. I look around the room to see nearly every person in the room smiling or laughing along with her. They knew her well; they knew that if they weren't laughing or smiling she would begin to panic.

She now turns to look over at Ashley. "I mainly watched you grow up from pictures and home videos Mom and Dad used to send me while I was away at school. But I did get to see you when I came home on for the holidays, you'd always sleep in my room with me, always getting up in the middle of the night off your air mattress and getting into the bed with me. Or when I was doing my undergrad and you used to come over to the apartment for the weekend once a month. I can still see you running around my apartment in your Elmo pajamas holding on to that bright yellow and brown teddy bear because I was chasing you threatening to tickle you or because you didn't want to go to bed yet. I remember how nervous I'd get when you came close to the set of stairs leading to the back yard. No matter if I had the gate to the stairs latched or not I was always scared that you'd manage to fall down the stairs. I was scared because I wasn't going to be there to catch you."

Brittany pauses for a moment and takes a deep breath. I can see the tears glistening in her baby blues. She had the habit of making comments on how materialistic and spoiled Ashley was but you could always tell how much she loved Ashley but it wasn't exactly until this moment I realized how much she loved her sister.

"I wasn't going to be there to catch you. I couldn't help but feel like that because I felt like I missed out, not being home to see you grow up. I felt like that I wasn't going to be there when you needed me, I wasn't going to be able to be the one to catch you when you fell, but now I don't need to worry. Because, Jeremy," Brittany changes her gaze from Ashley's face to her brother in law's. "I don't know you very well but I can tell that you love my sister and I know that you're going to be there for her no matter what. You're going to catch her even when she doesn't realize she's falling. You two are going to be great the best aunt and uncle my kids could ever ask for."

There is a silence in the room. Brittany looks at me, smiling widely. She knows that she's going to pay for this later but I honestly can't help but smile. My reaction is automatic. "And yes, Santana, I give you permission to put me in the dog hourse for telling them all now. I couldn't have my sister ride off into the sunset without telling her." Brittany laughs. "I don't need to hope that you'll make each other as happy as Santana makes me because I already know that you two will. But I do hope every single one of will raise your glasses to my beautiful sister and amazing husband. To Ashley and Jeremy!"

Brittany takes a sip out of her glass before chuckling at the look on the crowds face. "Don't worry people, its only ginger ale!"

She nearly loses it laughing and I can't help but die laughing too. What did I do to get such an amazing wife? Images of this morning flood through my mind all over again.

* * *

"_I actually need to tell you something." Her smile again graces my presence. _

"_Okay? I have no idea what you're talking about." _

"_I have something amazing to tell you." Even with looking at the smile on Brittany's face I still can't help but be nervous. She takes my hand in hers. "You don't need to be nervous, San." She brushes a piece of hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear. I can feel my hands begin to become clammy. "This morning at breakfast I'm going to be eating for two and I will be for around the next 26 weeks." _

_The smile on Brittany's face grows even wider as I'm rendered speechless. I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out, so I simply close it again. _

_Another baby? When we went to the fertility clinic at Mount Sinai a little over a month ago we were praying that all the treatments and procedures would work but we both knew the chances. I thought we were lucky when we had Lily and always hoped that she wouldn't be our first and last but I always knew that it was a possibility._

_I notice that the smile on Brittany's face is now faltering as she looks me in the eyes. The doubt and the fear in her eyes are undeniable. "I thought that this was what you wanted?" She pulls her hand out of mine and stands up, beginning to pace the room before starting to rant in fluent Spanish. "Cómo podría hacer usted esto? Decidimos hacer este juntos. Si usted no deseó a otro niños por qué aceptó usted esto, todos los tratamientos, los procedimientos?_ _Por qué aceptó usted los niños que tiene si usted no los deseó?" Brittany's voice is now raised enough to be considered yelling but not quite loud enough to wake up Lily who over the past few months learnt sleep through pretty much anything anyways. Through it all she never looks at me, not once. _

"Brittany_." I say softly but firm enough to get her attention and not be lost in the airwaves. I get up out of the bed and take her hand. She still doesn't look at me. "__Britt." I place my other hand on her arm._

_Brittany finally turns her head to look at me. Tears are in her eyes and running down her cheek. "Cómo podría hacer usted esto?" She pauses for a moment realizing that she's speaking in Spanish and I may be fluent but at this hour in the morning I can't completely comprehend it when it's spoken at the speed she's been going, I can barely comprehend English at that speed to begin with. "How could you do this, Santana?" _

_I move my hand from her arm and wipe the tears from her cheek before kissing her temple. "I do want this. I want you to be happy. I want this baby more than you could ever know. You just left me speechless. That is all."_

_I wrap my arm around her waist pulling her closer until her face is inches from mine. "I want this with you so much. I want Lily to have a little brother or sister, more than one actually, that she loves just as much as you love Ashley. You know that." I give her the biggest smile I can, causing her to laugh. "I used to be insecure and think I was going to be a neurotic, overprotective mother because of everything I know. I used to doubt that I would be a good mother. I kept it locked away for so long until I didn't want kids anymore. But you changed that Brittany. You changed me. You made realize that the fear was all in my head, I didn't need to worry about anything." __With my words the doubt and fear in Brittany's eyes disperses. I can't help but my smile as I place my hand on her cheek. "I love you." _

"_Promise me you mean it, and that you're not saying it because we're having another baby and there's nothing you can do about it." _

_I hate to hear her say this but I understand her need for reassurance. To some it may have made her weak or untrusting but to me it showed my how much she loved me. It showed me how much she cared, how what I thought mattered more than anything. She was my Britt-Britt; the woman who asked for what she wanted to know and wasn't afraid to ask, the woman who made me forget my insecurities and realize that I was great, the woman I feel head over heels in love with, my escape. _

"_I promise."_


	21. Sequel

Just wanted to let y'all know the sequel is posted, it's called **The Edge of Glory**. I hope you guys enjoy it :)


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